Good Red Herring
by shishiswordsman
Summary: When Law is sixteen, he is dragged along to a diplomatic meeting in the Merfolk Kingdom. He meets a young merman called Luffy, and Law is soon convinced that the brat is a mage specialized in annoying people. Ten years later, they are reunited in the most unlikely of ways when Luffy becomes the catalyst to a potential war between the humans and the merfolk. Law-centric. OPBB 2016.
1. Prologue

I'd like to proudly present my entry to the One Piece Big Bang of 2016, and also my first multi chapter fic for this fandom. I'll post a chapter twice a week, I think, or something along those lines at least.

The cover art was done (used with permission!) by the amazing qpeura, check it out! ( bit . ly/ 1SZDVOx ) Also a huge thank you to my amazing betas, Emygrl99 and Beyond Kailani!

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 **Prologue**

Amber eyes followed small torrents of seawater as they danced lazily outside the window. There was nothing else to focus on, really; the surrounding water was far too dim and murky to allow any light shine through, leaving the ocean veiled in darkness.

Law sighed, aiming a glance in askance to his foster father.

What had been Cora's selling point to get Law to join him on the trip, again? The new culture, the local cuisine, and the scenery. What a joke. Law could only hope that things would pick up once they reached their destination, but the chances of that were slim at best.

He had always imagined that a diplomatic mission would be exciting and full of action, and Cora's stories of his visits to kingdoms far, far away had only fed that delusion further. The truth, however, was that the traveling alone was unbelievably tedious and the itinerary seemed equally uneventful. A talk with the local royals, a dinner and then back to the small carriage it was.

Ironically enough, the trip to Newgate's kingdom was supposed to be a present for Law's upcoming seventeenth birthday, and a way for Cora to prepare the teen for assignments of his own. Frankly, Law would have rather passed up on the opportunity and focused on his own studies in the meantime, but Cora had been insistent and, in the end, Law had deemed acquiescing to be the lesser evil.

Besides, when the King of the Merfolk sent an invitation to a meeting, there was no turning it down.

They had entered Edward Newgate's realm some time ago, but the king resided far deeper in the territory, near the ocean floor, so the trip from Dressrosa to their destination took up a better part of twenty four hours.

As if to add insult to injury, their driver had offhandedly mentioned that a mermaid would have been able to cover the distance in half that time without breaking a sweat. Not to mention that the King of Dressrosa, Doflamingo Donquixote, could have done the same in a matter of hours with his magic, much to Law's added ire.

But Law didn't have any magic suitable for making the trip, nor did Cora, so the two humans were left with no other choice but to wait inside the small carriage.

The sixteen year old scowled and rested his head against the wall behind him, trying to focus on anything but the unbearable heat. It was like traveling in a sweat lodge. If Law was still correct in his calculations - and he was - he still had three excruciatingly long hours left in that small, sealed off space with nothing to do and no one to talk to. 'How delightful.'

Begrudgingly, Law had to admit that even Cora's mindless babbling would have been preferable in comparison to the endless hours of inactivity. But the tall blond he was traveling with had fallen asleep hours ago, an unlit cigarette between his teeth and his bangs shadowing his eyes.

It wasn't that Law particularly minded the long hours of loneliness and quiet. No, he was accustomed to a certain level of introverted isolation, and was rather comfortable with having only the company of his own thoughts. But being stuck in such a small space only made him claustrophobic, and Law swore he could practically feel the ocean pressing down on him and robbing him of what little breathing room there was.

Law wasn't completely against the visit to the merfolk city, even if the hours of humdrum travel were ebbing away at what little enthusiasm he still had for the idea. The denizens of the deep were well renowned in all of Dressrosa, and while surface tourists were not as much as a rarity as one might have thought, Law had still only ever seen glimpses of their presence. A part of him, in truth, was intrigued by the new experience. It was an opportunity to finally see the creatures he had previously only seen from afar or from the pages of some age-old tomes.

In his books, they were creatures of grace and elegance with long, vibrant tails that reflected light in mesmerizing shades of gold and jade. The knowledge that in only a few short hours - no matter how long they would seem - they'd be surrounded by merfolk was alluring to Law's methodical side, and piqued his interest as a healer.

Law wondered if one of their hosts would be willing to let him take a scale from their tail. That would sure be something to examine back home.

Letting out a bored sigh, the teen leaned his head in his hand and gazed blankly out the window. The diplomatic representative of Dressrosa was still snoring loudly in his corner, and Law was suddenly rather jealous of Cora's ability to doze off whenever and wherever he wanted.

After an unprecedented amount of time spent lamenting his temporary imprisonment, a glimmer of bright red light caught Law's eye. Having fallen into a borderline catatonic state of inactivity, the young healer lifted his head and gaped at the view with barely contained astonishment.

In the horizon was the silhouette of a magnificent settlement within a large translucent bubble of air, giving the buildings and vegetation inside an iridescent glow. The sight of it was breath-taking, and Law's brow furrowed in concentration and wonder as he took in the vivacious colours and exotic corals that made up the foundations for the merfolk capital.

The carriage's speed picked up, and they practically flew through the protective air bubble that kept the seawater at bay. Law made a mental note to ask someone about the physics of it all.; there must have been a charm or a spell that made the seemingly fragile bubble retain its original form so easily.

Law peered out the window curiously, left speechless in the face of what must have been dozens of merfolk of all shapes and sizes, swimming below them in a labyrinthine network of canals. It was certainly something one didn't see back in Dressrosa, he mused.

The thought of his homeland pulled Law's focus back to the present and he nudged the older man's forearm none too gently.

"Cora-san?" Law said. "Are you awake? We're almost there."

But the honoured guest continued his one man snore concert, oblivious to Law's attempts to rouse him. The young healer rubbed the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "Wake up, Cora-san. The least you could do is be awake when we arrive!" he snapped and shoved the older man's arm again, coming close to knocking his adoptive father from his perch.

Cora caught himself at the last second, arms flailing wildly and mouth suddenly agape with a grunted curse. Law smirked briefly at the nobleman's elegance - or lack thereof - and rolled his eyes. "About time for you to wake up, we'll be there in any minute now."

Cora rubbed the sleep out of his eyes hastily and joined Law by the window, drawing an annoyed huff from the teen as he got into Law's space, squeezing against him in the limited space by the sole window.

"Sheesh, kid, you could have woken me sooner," Cora grumbled half-heartedly, paying no heed to the glare that was Law's only reply. "Well, no matter, the important thing is that we are finally here, eh?" he said, ruffling Law's hair.

Law smacked his hand away. "Yeah, finally. Once we get there, how about you at least try to act like the responsible and trustworthy diplomat you claim yourself to be?" he quipped, fixing his hair back to its usual not quite as messy style.

The king's advisor let out an elated laugh, marvelling at the exotic view. He rather resembled a child looking through a toy shop's window, Law thought; conveniently forgetting his own wonderment mere moments ago.

"Sure, I promise I'll behave. As long as you wipe that frown of your face, Lawsie. Try to have a more positive outlook," Cora assured warmly, straightening the wrinkles in his long black coat.

The carriage slowed to a crawl as they reached the foot of the most prevalent building in the city; the palace. It was surprisingly modest, juxtaposing the extravagant architecture Law was used to seeing back in Dressrosa. The palace was built on a thick network of colourful corals that lifted the structure high above ground level, and many of the water pipes that served as passageways for the merfolk connected to its floors.

Law watched curiously as two mermen with tails of bright blue and auburn, respectively, swum uphill in a canal with their friend, who looked rather tiny in comparison.

They were just children, Law realised, probably no more than ten years old. The smallest of the three spun in the canal, doing flips and twirls with grace no human could ever hope to achieve underwater, and Law could almost hear the runt's laughter all the way to his spot in the carriage. He absently wondered if they were servants, or perhaps even some merman noble's children.

They came to a gradual halt, and Cora scrambled to his feet with a wide grin. "Okay then, that was over in a blink of an eye, wouldn't you say?"

Law didn't dignify his words with a response.

Their driver, a puffer type fishman with a permanent scowl opened the doors and offered Law his hand to help him down, which the teen promptly declined. Their driver bowed and gestured Law to get moving in a way that led the teen to believe the fishman wasn't too keen on decorum.

Cora followed his adoptive son to the clearing with little grace, almost falling out of the carriage with an undignified lieu of curses. He stumbled and caught onto the door handle at the very last second, frowning at his own discomposure.

Law smirked and helped Cora return to his feet. "Way to go, Cora-san. That must have been a great first impression," he said with poorly hidden amusement.

"First impression for whom, exactly? There's no one here, Law," Cora replied irritably, rubbing the back of his neck and eyeing their surroundings. Law shrugged, feigning ignorance whilst snickering inwardly.

To their credit, their welcome wagon pretended to be oblivious to the duke's entrance, and merely chatted amiably amongst themselves. One was a merman sitting atop a large air bubble, and the other was a fishman, leaning to a wall with his arms crossed.

Keeping his face meticulously expressionless but eyes trained on the mermen and their scales - he'd never even seen that shade of purple before - Law dragged Cora along by the blond's sleeve. One of them might as well keep the show going.

Law's stomach coiled in a tight knot of apprehension as the mermen closed the distance between the two parties. The merman manoeuvred his air bubble expertly, and Law took a tentative step back when the bubble stopped within metres of him and Cora. It was an interesting sight to behold, and Law surmised that the mermen and mermaids must be using the air bubbles to move around in the drier areas of their kingdom.

The merfolk were exotic, that was for sure. The merman had a lilac tail and a painted face. He was wearing a loose fitting kimono and a sardonic smile that was somehow simultaneously both belittling and kind.

His companion, a fishman with bright lime green and yellow scales, seemed to be doing his damnedest not to laugh at their less than graceful human guests. He had a noticeable scar on his temple and a lazy smirk on his face, and his hair was styled in a pompadour that Law suspected had taken the man years to perfect.

"Hey, kid. My eyes are up here," the man said teasingly, and Law broke the one-sided staring contest with the fishman's fins that he had never consciously initiated. He was barely able to mutter a small apology, but the fishman didn't seem to think much of it, and simply laughed at the teen's obvious interest.

"Don't sweat it, I bet you haven't seen too many of our kind before. The name's Thatch, and this is Izo."

Cora extended his hand with a crooked smile. "Yes, we don't really get too many visitors from around here. I'm Cora and this is my son, Law. We're here to see-"

"Pops, yeah," Thatch cut in, shaking Cora's hand good naturedly. "Just follow us."

Soon enough they were settled in an elevator made entirely of shells and what appeared to be clay. Law stifled a shudder. He was almost at his limit when it came to frail means of transportation and enclosed spaces.

"How was your voyage?" Izo asked with a hint of concern in his voice. "You look a bit pale, dear."

"It was… interesting. And it's over now," Law answered, shrugging.

He didn't want to focus on the past few hours too much, or to be reminded of the fact that he would be back in that forsaken carriage before nightfall. Swimming to the surface would have surely been a lot more gratifying, Law thought as he watched Izo flick his tail against the bubble he was sitting on.

Izo noticed his stare and smiled knowingly at Law. "I hear the currents should be in you favour tonight. Travelling home should be less grating."

Law shot a disbelievingly glance at Izo. "I doubt anything could make that pleasant."

"Well I hope it will be. But you should try to enjoy your stay regardless, it's always nice to see new faces," Izo chuckled.

"Thanks, I'll do my best," Law said, unsure of what he was expected to say. Saved by the fishman, Thatch slapped Law in the back abruptly, right between his shoulder blades.

"Oi, we're here kid. You can slip away if you want, just wait in the room over there."

It didn't seem like request as much as a command, and Law peeked inquisitively at Cora, who just nodded encouragingly. All the low key cloak and dagger business just made Law want to protest that much more, and he opened his mouth to voice his counterarguments. He wanted to tell them that he was almost old enough, and for better or worse he was Cora's successor, thus having the right to hear the negotiations.

And yet, Law found himself sulking in a large room with only three walls. The fourth wall was covered by nothing but vines and flowers, overlooking the city. The view was astounding and under different circumstances it would have surely enthralled Law, but now he didn't spare it a second glance. His attention was reserved for the meeting room not ten metres from him, where he knew the King of the Merfolk was currently chatting with his adoptive father.

Law grumbled a curse or a dozen under his breath and tried to will his eyes to pierce through the stone wall so that he could see what exactly was happening inside. He had heard stories of the man who ruled the merfolk; a hulking figure with tentacles the size of full grown men and a laugh that could set earthquakes in motion. And Law would have been lying if he'd said he wasn't burning with curiosity to confirm the rumours with his own eyes.

Alas, he had no choice but to wait and hope to maybe catch a glimpse of Newgate when the meeting was over. Law sighed desolately. Having to wait outside like the toddler at the kiddie table was enraging to say the least.

"Hey, mister," someone said right next to Law, poking the teen's shoulder and snapping him out of his furious musings. "Hey, have you seen Ace and Sabo?"

Law turned his head just enough to see a merman - merboy? - with big doe eyes and an exquisite red tail. He wore a red vest and a weathered straw hat, and was perched atop an air balloon just like the ones Law had seen Thatch and Izo using earlier, if not a tad more modest. His tail was a small stump in comparison to the other mermens', and his fins seemed disproportionate and awkward for such a tiny kid.

Law realised absently that this must have been the same child he'd seen swimming earlier in the canal with his older friends. 'Ace and Sabo, perhaps?'

The kid poked Law again, a bit harder this time, and Law frowned in disapproval. He didn't recall signing up to be some fish kid's babysitter. "What?"

"Have you seen my brothers? They were taking me to the kitchen, and I guess I took a wrong turn," the child said, grinning sheepishly. He didn't look at all surprised or shaken about being separated from his brothers in the enormous castle, instead acting like it was no big deal at all, an everyday occurrence. The kid jumped off his air bubble to sit on the bench next to Law.

He fidgeted, waiting for Law's response impatiently, and the teen stifled a groan. He had not signed up for this.

"What do your brothers look like?" he asked, "and what's your name, kid?"

"Luffy!" the merboy beamed. "I'm Luffy and I'm nine years old and I have two brothers, Ace and Sabo, and they're super cool. I bet they could kick your ass, too."

"Why on earth would they want to do that?" Law murmured to himself. "Where did you lose Ace-ya, then?"

Luffy tilted his head thoughtfully and cupped his chin. "Well, we were swimming up here to go see Thatchy, and then there was a fish and it looked neat, so… That way?" he wagered a guess, gesturing to the castle. The kid snickered to himself and pointed to the complete opposite direction. "Might be that way too, though."

Law bit back the 'are you fucking kidding me' that threatened to leave his tongue like a reflex. The kid had no clue where he was. "That's a pretty vague estimate, Luffy-ya. Do you know where your parents are? Go find them."

"All I have is Ace and Sabo," Luffy said nonchalantly, like he was speaking of bunny rabbits instead of telling Law that he was most likely an orphan. "Hey, what's your name?"

"Trafalgar Law."

Luffy's mouth gaped open like a fish's. "That's a stupid name," he declared flatly, "I'm going to call you something else."

"What's difficult about saying my name, kid? Too big of a word for you?" Law chaffed.

"No, it's just a silly name!" Luffy giggled back, "I think you need a nickname, mister. How about Tiger? No, that's no good… Or Tornado? No..."

"You think?" Law repeated. Now that must have been a rarity all in itself. Law couldn't have disagreed more - there was nothing wrong with his name - but he didn't have the energy or the motivation to argue with the kid, and simply huffed.

"How about really cool guy?" he offered. The small smirk playing on his lips was nothing short of preternatural, but he did nothing to suppress it.

The overly energetic nine year old was kind of fun to be around, a bit like Cora.

Luffy laughed openly at his suggestion, and the lively snicker kept the smirk in place on Law's lips. "You're funny. I'm going to call you Torao."

And that was it, pure and simple. Law listened to the merboy ramble about his brothers and friends, about different types of fish and how he thought that Law's robes were like a cape and a dress all rolled in one. He swung his arms wildly every which way as he spoke, and Law tried his best to hum and nod at the appropriate moments. But in the end, it was Luffy's tail that truly captured his interest.

He had to admit that it was rather beautiful; different shades of bright colours mixed together in cascades, creating a captivating canvas of silver and rose scales. The colour was not as deep and vivid as Izo's lilac or Thatch's green, but Law surmised that Luffy's young age must play a part in that.

Law idly wondered what touching the scaly surface would be like, but he caught himself before acting on the impulse. Somehow he doubted that suddenly probing at a random kid's tail would be appreciated even in the much more liberal merfolk society, and it sure as hell wouldn't do the diplomatic relations between humans and the merfolk any favours.

Luffy, however, didn't seem to have such qualms, and broke his monologue out of the blue to pinch Law's thigh experimentally.

"Why don't you have a tail? How do you swim? Do you poop?" the kid blurted out, tugging on the fabric of Law's dark, silken robes as if to see if there was a tail hidden underneath. Law snorted out a laugh and quirked an incredulous eyebrow.

"What, you've never seen a human before?" he asked, but it was such a hypocritical thing to say that it almost made Law sneer at his own words. Not like he had ever been within a touching distance of a real life merman before, either.

Even if said merman was a pint sized brat.

Luffy stared blankly back at Law and shook his head. "No, Acey says that I should keep away since I would just annoy them. But I think he's just being a meanie when he says that," he snickered, and Law seriously doubted that the kid's inexperience when it came to humans was from lack of trying. He was growing convinced that the nine year old was the absolute daftest person he had ever met in his life.

"That's alright," Law said dismissively and pulled his robes aside just enough to show Luffy his shoes. "See, no scales?"

"Weird…" Luffy stated, flexing his own tail in bewilderment. "How do you get anywhere with those?"

"They're feet. Really, no one's told you about humans before?"

"Nope," Luffy chirped, picking his nose absent-mindedly. He wiped his hand in his t-shirt, and Law just couldn't be mad at someone who looked like the very definition of blissful ignorance. "And I think my feet are cooler than yours, anyway."

Law opened his mouth to correct the kid - No, Luffy-ya, you don't have feet - but the words got caught in his throat and Law surprised himself by chuckling instead, genuinely amused by the kid's bluntness. It was something he rarely encountered or experienced among the other nobles.

"Yeah, I guess yours are pretty cool," he acknowledged, and Luffy looked so smug that Law couldn't resist the opportunity to push him over with his much less amazing feet.

The young merman toppled to the ground, giggling happily. Law reached his hand out to Luffy, but the kid batted it away, making Law's knuckles brush against the side of Luffy's tail by accident. The human's eyes widened marginally in surprise.

The ruby scales were softer than he'd assumed them to be, and Law could only stare at the strong muscles as they flexed to help Luffy back to a seated position. What he wouldn't give for the opportunity to study the anatomy and the inner workings of such a system. For all the research he'd done on the merfolk, Law had never been within a touching distance of a fin and scales and…

The nine year old boy snickered at Law, pointing at him with a shit eating grin plastered on his face. "You were staring, old guy. That's rude."

"What's rude is you pointing that finger at me," Law said, suppressing a scoff. "And I'm not old, Luffy-ya, I'm sixteen."

"Shishishi, you're old!" Luffy said with a tune to his words. "My brothers are older than me and they're only, hmm… Twelve _!_ "

Law rubbed the bridge of his nose in exasperation. He didn't exactly want to argue with the boy when he knew it would be a losing battle. "Whatever you say, Luffy-ya."

'Obstinate brat.'

Luffy grinned widely, and Law noted that the kid had a scrap of food or stuck between his teeth. How charming. Law shook his head and closed his eyes, leaning his head against the wall. He was halfway expecting Luffy to grow bored of him and wander off, but the boy just climbed back on the bench, scrambling for purchase when his tail slipped on the smooth tiles.

Law decided right there and then that all his books had either been ludicrously generalizing the mermen as a race, or they had just gotten all the facts completely, utterly wrong. Luffy was unbelievably clumsy and uncoordinated with his tail, falling on his nose every two seconds in what must have been the definite antonym of the word grace and a polar opposite to the elegant creatures pictured in Law's books.

What the hell was the kid even still doing out on the balcony with him, when he had no idea about Law's intentions? Slave trade, while far less common than it used to be, was still a real threat to merfolk, and it was not exactly a rarity to hear of people disappearing and being sold. Law knew there were many a slave serving the nobles back in Dressrosa, too; it was just how things were and had always been.

Didn't Luffy have any sense of self-preservation?

Apparently not. The kid wound up leaning comfortably against Law's side, acting like they hadn't been complete strangers to one another mere minutes ago. The small merman's tail reflected the sunlight into Law's eyes, or whatever passed for sunlight ten thousand metres below surface level, and Law squinted his eyes from the sheer intensity.

Luffy snuggled closer to Law, practically hugging him and, much to his surprise, the healer found that he didn't fully detest the contact. He still pushed Luffy off of him, out of principle if nothing else.

The kid fell on his behind, bending almost in half and holding his side. For a fleeting moment of dread and what someone might have called worry, Law thought he'd hurt the brat. Sparking an altercation or even a war didn't sound like a great way to start his diplomatic career.

Law reached out to Luffy to pick him up, but the merman only let out a gleeful laugh.

"Silly Torao, I almost fell! What did you do that for?" he asked, although it seemed more like a statement than a question. As if Luffy knew the answer already, but just wanted to drive his point home; that Law was apparently also the daftest person Luffy had ever met. Imagine the irony.

"You almost fell? Well darn, what are you doing on the ground then?" Law teased, but his focus was elsewhere.

"Hey, Luffy-ya," he started without thinking much of his words and, okay, maybe Law had no self-preservation instincts to speak of either. "Can I have that?"

"Huh?" The merman - Law was still struggling with associating the word man with the runt, but it really couldn't be helped - voiced, looking confused. He followed the direction of Law's gaze and the healer could practically see the light bulb appearing above the small raven head as Luffy connected the dots. A wide smile lit his features. "Oh, you mean-"

"Luffy!"

A sharp yell cut the kid off, and Law frowned as one of the young mermen he'd seen swimming with Luffy emerged from behind a corner. He wore a fierce scowl in his freckled face, and his tail was a mix of red and gold. Not long after a second boy trailed after the freckled one. His blond hair was hidden under a top hat, and his tail of bronze and azure swivelled back and forth as he sat on the bubble. Law was surprised to see that half of the child's smirking face was covered in scars.

If Law'd have to hazard a guess, he'd say that he was looking at Ace and Sabo. Hadn't Luffy mentioned he had two brothers?

Luffy tensed and grinned sheepishly. "Ace, Sabo! You found me already," he greeted, letting out a nervous chuckle. "I was just talking to my new friend."

"Yeah, I can see that," Ace scoffed and aimed a piercing glare Law's way. "He's a human, Luffy, haven't you been listening to anything we've been telling you?"

"But he's cool!" Luffy laughed and bounced off the bench to join his brothers without a single glance or a word of goodbye to the sixteen year old healer. Law was left on the balcony, staring at his hand and the small, crimson scale that this strange merboy had pressed into his palm before vanishing.

Law couldn't wipe the smug smile off his face. The long trek to the underwater kingdom seemed that much more worthwhile now that he had a souvenir, something to show for it.

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Thank you for reading, please leave a comment! I'd love some feedback ~

Also, some of the working titles for this fic have included: "The Encyclopaedia of Shitty Jokes" and "Merstuck". Is the latter a reference to Homestuck, you ask? Why yes, yes it is.


	2. Best Fishes

**Ten years later:**

Twenty-six year old Trafalgar Law stood in his bedroom, enjoying the quiet. The sun had just finished its daily journey from east to west, and only the stars and the crescent moon casted their rays through the open windows.

For once, the earl's quarters were vacant; no servants in sight and not a single wisp of the run of a mill concubines that Doflamingo loved to send Law's way to humour him. Or at least that was the king's excuse for the unwanted visitors that sometimes waited for Law, no matter how much his teasing smirk suggested otherwise. Regardless, it had been an arduous day, and Law had been happy to find his rooms perfectly vacant of pests.

Had he not had dinner plans - oh the joy - Law would have been tempted to simply enjoy the peace while it lasted. But then again, peace was a relative term.

"Law, you need to tighten the knot or that will not hold until we make our leave," Cora chided fondly, reaching to fix the silver sash that accentuated the midnight blue robes Law was wearing.

The clothes were a tad too lavish for his tastes, but Cora had picked them, meaning that protesting was a losing fight all in itself. They weren't particularly uncomfortable, as could be expected of a garb that had been made out of silk undoubtedly worth more than a regular miller earned in a lifetime, but even still they felt stiff and itchy against Law's skin.

"Give it a rest, will you?" he grunted, brushing off Cora's helping hand. "I don't need you to tie a goddamn ribbon, Cora-san, I'm not thirteen years old anymore."

"Oh, don't remind me," Cora said melodramatically and smiled. "You were such a cute kid, running around with dissected frogs and pelicans and what have you. And look at you now."

Law rolled his eyes, swatting away a second attempt at tinkering with his waistband. "I was not. Please focus, Cora-san, this is an important event."

His adoptive father shrugged with mock indifference and crossed his arms, leaning back to look at Law appraisingly. Law let it slide and spared an absent glance out the window that faced the main yard, face set in a scowl. He could see the steady flow of guests trickling towards the castle's main entrance, heading towards the ballroom to celebrate the king's forty-second birthday.

Doflamingo had the kingdom's treasury at his disposal and an insatiable hunger for both luxury and power, so the party, too, was nothing if not overly extravagant. Law had been spared from the preparations on the most part thanks to his obligations as a healer and a diplomat, but he had heard talks of delicacies being imported from as far as Alabasta, among other places. What a fine waste of money.

Law took a step toward the door, intending to summon a page to escort them to the ballroom, but Cora stopped him with a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Wait, I have something I need to tell you."

Law halted and turned back to his adoptive father, quirking a curious eyebrow. Cora was fiddling with his lighter anxiously, eyes darting from Law to the window and the party.

"What is it?" Law asked seriously, and something in his words seemed to make a crack in Cora's otherwise impeccable shield of decorum and sarcasm. Concern and apprehension flashed briefly in his eyes, and Law could practically see the gears turning in Cora's head as the tension drained from him. Cora shook his head dismissively.

"On second thought, it's nothing, really. We can chat later. But for now, we are going to be late, Lawsie," Cora said. "How about you take a look at yourself and we can get moving? I'll call someone to come escort us."

While he was left puzzled by Cora's odd behaviour, Law decided against prying more into it; they were in a bit of hurry after all, and his adoptive father had a tendency to be overly dramatic. He'd probably thought of a funny joke or remembered some story he'd wanted to tell Law, and then changed his mind.

So Law nodded and turned to check his reflection in the mirror. A tall man clad in the finest fabrics Dressrosa had to offer that was staring back at him, and Law thought that the guy looked incredibly awkward in the flashy formalwear. He let out a resigned sigh and nodded his approval.

"Yeah, it looks just as shitty as I expected," Law griped, "Let's just get this over with."

Cora patted Law on the back encouragingly and together the Earl and the Duke of Dressrosa made their way to the ballroom, escorted by two servant girls dressed in simplistic dresses.

As they neared the main wing and the ball room, the ceilings grew higher and higher, creating an illusion of limitless grandeur and opulence to the otherwise rather narrow hallways. The walls were shrouded in thick silks and gilded embellishments, and Law rolled his eyes as they passed a bronze statue made of the king.

He was rather used to the extravagance of living in the castle, but he made a point not to take it for granted, not when he knew what having nothing was like. While the people outside the castle's walls were by no means badly off, money could have gone to much better uses than frivolous ornaments.

The pages lead the two noblemen to the Great Hall, offering a polite and clearly rehearsed bow before gesturing for Cora and Law to step through a pair of large wooden doors, into the ballroom that served as the setting for Doflamingo's birthday celebration.

The room was filled to the brim with mingling royals, nobles and ambassadors with drinks in hand and smiles in place. Loud music and cheery chatter filled the air, mixing with the scent of incense and spices. Something was roasting.

Cora excused himself as soon as they reached the dance floor, reminding Law to find him later and saying something about having to catch up with the royals of Alabasta. Law saw him moments later sitting at a table with an admittedly dashing blue haired teen and a dark haired older man. The King of Alabasta, if Law was correct in his assumptions.

Law made his way past the guests, exchanging the compliments and pleasantries he knew were expected of him. He talked about trading treaties with a representative of Sabaody Isles, met with a lower level noble from the Drum Kingdom, and chatted with the blue haired girl who indeed turned out to be the crown princess of Alabasta.

Eventually Law figured that he'd stalled for as long as he could, and reluctantly navigated through the masses to greet the king.

Doflamingo was seated in a large, comfortable chair in the furthest corner of the room, facing the dance floor and the stage. He leaned back as soon as he saw Law walking up to him to offer his best wishes, and Law could practically feel the king's soft chuckles reverberating in his spine. The feather clad man waved him closer, golden bracelets clinking melodically against each other.

"Law, my boy, how nice of you to join us. Please, take a seat," he said, offhandedly gesturing for the healer to take a seat in the chair next to his own. Law abided him wordlessly, hiding a frown.

"You have been doing well, I hope? Enjoying yourself?" Doflamingo asked, not even bothering to conceal his blatant indifference to Law's affairs. Law scoffed and took one of the wine glasses that were offered to him on a stylized metal tray.

"I'm quite well, thank you," he said monotonously, rather fed up with the formalities he knew Doflamingo forced upon him for no other reason than to further annoy Law. The party hadn't even properly started and Law was already dead tired. "It has indeed been a lovely evening so far."

Doflamingo's grin widened - if that was humanly possible - and he gestured toward the people on the dance floor. "Sure seems that way. Tell me, kid, what did you bring your dear old uncle for his birthday?"

Law rolled his eyes discreetly. "You're not my uncle, not as far as your nightly escapades with Cora-san are considered. That would be fucked up on far too many levels, even for you."

"Oh, you wound me Lawsie, denying me so coldly, on my birthday of all days. My my, the balls on you," Doflamingo said and winked. "Thank the gods that I'm in a good mood today, and for that your uncle is such a kind hearted ruler. A lesser man might have taken offence, you know."

He laughed mirthfully, and Law watched in silence as the king waved a page to refill his cup with wine. The boy stumbled and dropped the tray, but the wine chalice floated in mid-air and flew straight into Doflamingo's hand. It looked like the goblet was held up by nothing tangible or discernible, but Law knew better.

Whereas every human possessed some amount of magic, be it constructive or destructive, no one had ever heard of a mage stronger than the King of Dressrosa. No one knew where he got his power, nor exactly how the man's magic worked, but all were aware of his strength nonetheless. It was only logical to be apprehensive of such an ability when the king was able to reduce his subjects into smithereens with nothing but his willpower, or to manipulate their movements with a flick of his wrist.

Living in a royal court meant leading a life filled with all things mystic, obviously, but the whole concept seemed illogical and pointless to Law. Magic was something he had never quite fathomed, or even wanted to. While he did have some magic suitable for healing, Law had always deemed the mystic to be nothing but a second-rate fairy tale business that was favoured by fools who lacked the tenacity to practice their trade.

While it was rather interesting to see Doflamingo manipulate the jesters' movements whenever he grew tired of their antics and boring tricks, Law had also seen the other side of the coin. He'd seen the bloody remnants of the usurpers trying to commit treason against the crown, and heard the screams of men being torn to pieces by something they couldn't even see.

Notwithstanding his complicated and slightly cold relationship with the king, Law, too, had to admit that he was truly a force to be reckoned with.

Doflamingo refilled both his own and Law's cups without ever touching the chalice. Law didn't need to see them to know that the crystal goblet was held up with near invisible strings.

"So, Lawsie, are you excited to see the rest of my presents?" Doflamingo asked, taking a large sip of wine. "They're preparing them now so that we can open the cream of the crop before dinner. Oh, I can't wait!"

"Yes, I'm sure we're all just dying to know what you've been gifted this year," Law deadpanned.

Doflamingo merely laughed and leaned from his seat to nudge Law's shoulder with his knuckles. Law scrunched his nose in distaste, smelling alcohol on the man's breath, but Doflamingo seemed undeterred by his aversion.

"Could it be that you're jealous of my party, kid, of all these important people and all this attention I'm getting? Poor, pouting Lawsie, all alone," he whispered merrily into to Law's ear. Law had to resist the urge to say something less than polite.

Doflamingo snapped his fingers. "Bring them out! I wish to see my new toys!"

The guests scuffled to find their tables, chattering excitedly, and Cora took seat on Doflamingo's right side, flashing Law a quick smile as he sat down. The heavy curtains in the back of the room opened slowly, revealing a stage with many veiled items of different sizes that had been gifted to the ruler of Dressrosa. Law was surprised to see that Monet, a green haired court member and Law's friend, had been given the task of introducing each gift.

At first, Law watched disinterestedly as Monet revealed a set after set of ancient books and maps, and read out loud the greetings each gift giver had left with the items. They were all generic, go-to-things to give to a man of Doflamingo's stature, and thus also beyond boring. Law traced the carved patterns on the wooden chair's handle absently, inwardly frowning at the idiot representatives of Goa Kingdom who had given Doflamingo the exact same set of sculptures three years in a row.

'How about using all that wealth to buy a personality?' Law thought and hid his smirk behind his wine glass.

A ghost of a smile remained on his lips as Law watched Monet reveal a series of beautiful paintings the King of Alabasta had brought with him. He could practically see her hands straining with the effort not to touch the frames, just barely stopping herself in time. Law rolled his eyes as Monet shook her head marginally and moved on.

Monet walked in many servants the king had been gifted with, and Law watched in distaste as Doflamingo eyed them from head to toe, undoubtedly assigning duties for them in his mind. He seemed to take a special liking to a petite redhead who was scowling the entire time she was onstage, glaring daggers at the shackles around her wrists.

Law had spent many years in the court, and over time he'd grown numb to the tribulations of those below him. But he could still remember the days when he was just a runt out on the streets with nothing to his name, before Cora had found him and taken him under his wing. Law would have been lying if he'd said he didn't feel a bit sorry for the redheaded slave.

"And lastly, an offering for our King sent by the most kind rulers of Sabaody Park, I present to you the highlight of the evening," Monet declared and whistled a low signal, letting the servants behind her know that it was time to raise the veil off the last present.

The members of the audience gasped in shock and astonishment, pulling Law's focus back to the present. Law's eyes widened in surprise and his mouth opened in surprise, albeit for different reasons.

In the centre of the stage, inside a big translucent cage made of enchanted glass, was a merman with dark hair and a radiant red tail.

Even though it had been a decade since they had last seen each other, Law recognised Luffy instantly. There was a starburst scar in his chest and a hardness to his glare that hadn't been there in the past, but he looked otherwise unchanged by time.

'What the hell are you doing here, Luffy-ya?' Law wondered and listened to Monet introduce the merman.

A teen of nineteen summers, captured by a group of slavers just outside Sabaody and sold to the auction houses for a pretty penny. It was a miracle that the kid had been bought by the royals of the island in the first place, considering how infamous Sabaody was for its lively slave trade, but Law wasn't complaining. This way there was hope for the young merman yet.

The Kingdom of Dressrosa had multiple active peace treaties with the fishmen, and taking the freedom of one of their kind would be an ultimate offence to the concord between the two groups. It would mean breaking all bridges that had taken decades to build, and worst of all it would anger Edward Newgate. And nobody wanted to incur the wrath of the King of the Seas.

"You can't keep him, you know that right?" Cora whispered to Doflamingo, unknowingly voicing Law's thoughts. Doflamingo merely waved his advisor off and smirked.

"But Roci, he's so pretty, look. He would be the perfect new corner piece for my chambers," Doflamingo said, licking his lips thoughtfully. "Would that not be an honour, in a way, for a fish to get a position so close to a king ?"

"I don't think the merfolk would see it that way, Doffy," Cora said irritably.

"Aww, don't be like that, blondie," Doflamingo whined and pointed at the merman who was yelling something inaudible behind the soundproof glass. "He's such a cutie."

"Do you have any idea what that would look like, taking a merman as a royal slave?" Cora asked accusingly, his eyebrows knitting together in frustration. "Newgate isn't a man who'd let taking the freedom of one of subject's lightly. Keeping him is as good a declaration of war."

Doflamingo hung his head and rubbed his temples. "Yeah, I suppose. We shall do what you say, Mom, but the humans are mine and mine alone to toy with," he laughed, but he was clearly displeased.

Law suddenly felt a lot sorrier for the new acquirements than he had only moments ago.

Next to him, Cora sighed in exasperation, shaking his head resignedly. "Yes, yes, they're all yours. But play nice."

"I always do. Sheesh, you're such a fucking buzzkill sometimes, Roci," Doflamingo said dismissively and gestured a few of the guards closer. "Take the runt out of that box and put him in a room or something."

"Thank you," Cora said earnestly, casting a wary glance to the men tasked with freeing the captured merman. "I'm glad you could be reasonable here, Doffy, we really can't afford to go to war with the merfolk as we are now."

"We have the manpower, and they do have some real things of beauty to offer," Doflamingo mused. "And if my memory serves me correctly, Newgate and his flock are still recovering from the area wars from two years back."

"True enough, but so are we. And one doesn't start a war on a whim," Cora said warningly, crossing his arms.

"Please, if I wanted to go warring with Whitebeard I would have done so ages ago," Doflamingo chuckled. Cora didn't seem convinced.

Law followed the king's gaze back to Luffy, who was scowling at the guards who tried - and failed - to take the boy out of the water with no great finesse. Law huffed at the sight. Had the men not understood that the brat was no longer a slave but a guest? Moreover, had Doflamingo himself understood that, let alone accepted it as a fact?

It was unlike the king to go along with anything his advisor suggested this easily, and Law knew Cora was well aware of that as well. Law chalked it up to the impulsive king's many quirks.

He watched, brimming with silent amusement, as the guards finally managed to coax Luffy out of his cage - who knew mermen ate meat? - and Luffy followed them on his own, all but rolling onto a small trolley and letting the guards wheel him away. Law was bemused to see that the teen was still awkward as ever with his tail, although there was a certain level of control and skill to his movements that had been missing ten years ago.

Law smirked at the sight. Perhaps he would seek Luffy out before the teen would be sent back to his kind? He would quite fancy getting a new scale for his collections, for comparison. The old one was still sitting on Law's desk inside a small case, but it was far paler than the scales that covered Luffy's now full grown tail.

The rest of the night went by at an excruciatingly slow pace. Law found himself talking with the Princess of Alabasta after the dinner and speeches, and he listened with one ear as the blue haired girl rambled about the horrors of slave keeping. She seemed especially passionate about the redheaded girl Law had seen onstage when she had been given to Doflamingo as a present, and Law wondered if they knew each other.

"-and you must agree that it's a completely outdated and superfluous practice, Sir Trafalgar. Wouldn't you say so?" Vivi demanded to know, grimacing with repulsion at the mere idea. Law could only nod politely. He was too preoccupied with the princess' talks and thoughts about human trafficking to hear Cora's approach, and Law was slightly startled when Cora patted his shoulder.

"We'd best get going, Lawsie."

Law thanked Vivi for her company and excused himself with quickly exchanged good night's wishes, soon trailing after Cora back to his own quarters.

"It was a nice night, don't you agree?" Cora started, once the pair had gotten some distance between themselves and the party. "Did you try the turkey? I think it was quite good. The wine, on the other hand was a bit too sweet in my tastes, but Doffy seemed to like it."

"No, I didn't try it," Law said. "Do you really think Doflamingo's letting that merman go? Having him agree to it without a hissy fit was awfully fishy."

Cora's features darkened and he took on a grim scowl. "Yes. I thought it was rather odd of him as well. But don't worry, kiddo, I'll talk to him about it."

"Is that wise, or even necessary?" Law asked. "I'm sure he was just acting on impulse."

"Most likely, yes. But I wouldn't be a very good advisor if I didn't offer my guidance now, would I?" Cora reassured, flashing a lopsided grin. "It'll be fine, I know how to handle him. He won't cause any harm to our guest."

Law grumbled. "At least take me with you."

Cora let out a bellowing laugh. "Lawsie, if I didn't know any better I would say you're worried!" He wrapped an arm around the earl's more narrow shoulders, smiling brightly.

Law frowned doubtfully, and opened his mouth to try and counter Cora's claims. But his adoptive father only ruffled his hair and laughed some more, and Law soon forgot all about his apprehension.

It had been a surprisingly good day, and it almost felt like nothing could ruin it, not while Cora was still chatting happily next to Law and the corridors were filled with the slowly dying celebration's last tunes.

Law was still smiling when they reached his quarters and Cora bid him good night.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Thanks for reading, please tell me what you think ^^ I'll update again this weekend, I think.  
_**


	3. Reality Says Hi

Law felt pretty amazing when he woke up the next morning.

For the first time in months, the sadistic piece of shit that was his brain had actually allowed him some shut eye, which in itself was a miracle. Law guessed that he'd slept for the better part of four hours, at least, and he whistled to himself as he went through his morning routine.

Logically speaking, he shouldn't have been this enthusiastic to see Luffy again, but he was.

There was something nostalgic about being able to speak to the merman after all this time, and still Law could hardly believe that the small, obnoxious brat had grown into the teen Law had seen stuck in that damned glass box the night prior.

The look on Luffy's face had truly been a sight worth seeing; his tail a vibrant red and his eyes burning even brighter, exuding confidence and defiance all the same.

Bearing in mind how utterly unaccustomed the king was to meeting any resistance or opposition, Luffy's insolence had been like a giant _fuck you_ to Doflamingo's face, tantamount to the biggest middle finger there was. Which was partly why Law had been so perplexed by Doflamingo's decision to grant Luffy his freedom, seeing as the king seldom agreed to play by the rules set by social conduct or, say, a peace treaty.

Law decided go see Cora, hoping to rekindle the conversation from last night in case Cora would have some insight on the king's intentions. He wanted to get some concrete answers for Luffy before he'd go meet the kid.

Law was accompanied to Cora's quarters by a petite servant with dark hair and brown eyes. He rather reminded Law of Luffy.

"Has the Duke woken yet?" Law asked after a moment's walk, startling the boy. "I would hate to disturb his slumber."

"No, my Lord, I haven't heard a peep of him after you left the ball last night," the page replied, tripping over his words. "I am not privy to his comings and goings, Sir. Sorry, Sir."

"That's fine," Law said offhandedly. "I'll find out myself."

While Law was a tad irked by the kid's hesitation, he couldn't exactly blame the servant for his diffidence. The rules for addressing this lord and that marquis were intricate enough to confuse anyone, like dancing around pits of lava; one false move could just as well take a man to an early grave.

Being kin to the king's second hand man, Law was not required to abide the convoluted rules and guidelines to the tee, but he was familiar with the basics and then some. It was nothing but another unnecessary annoyance in his book, even though there was no denying that knowing the ins and outs of courteous speech came in handy when dealing with pompous aristocrats.

In any case, Law was merely an earl, far from the privileges and pleasures of a higher rank and never to reign as the king of Dressrosa. And he didn't mind that one bit. Being a ruler was a highly demanding, not to mention time consuming. If you wished to actually make some difference, that was.

The current king, in all his benevolence, had not once lifted a finger to aid his struggling subjects during the years he had reigned. Doflamingo was far more interested in controlling his kingdom than actually leading it. His subjects were closer to puppets in his eyes, a mindless pack of sheep to be toyed with.

Next to him, the servant fidgeted, rocking himself nervously on his heels and biting his lower lip in a perfect picture of apprehension. It took Law a while to realise that they had long since stopped.

"Thanks."

Cora's chambers were dimly lit, but Law was still able to see that his adoptive father was nowhere to be found, and his bed was clearly untouched. Law pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance and turned back to the servant.

"And you're certain he was here?" he asked, trying to refrain from snapping at the boy despite his impatience.

"Yes, sir. I was told the Duke retired to his chambers in the late hours. Perhaps he is out?"

"That much is evident, thank you," Law said, dismissing the servant with a wave. The kid bowed deeply before leaving, sandaled feet slapping against the tiles.

Figuring that he didn't have much else to do before lunch, Law set out to search for Cora. He passed through room after room full of people; some who lived in the castle, dome servants and some guests still lounging in the visitor's wing. But no Cora. Law was growing more and more pissed off by the second, and he all but slammed the door open to the king's quarters.

Time froze.

Law's pupils were blown wide with shock, and three thoughts were born in his mind before even one was finished and processed. They piled up in his head, clouding his vision and his logic, and Law's body refused to move.

 _"It's the Earl!"_

 _"My lord! Sir, please, back away!"_

 _"Sir, it's under control, you should go!"_

 _"Don't look!"_

He heard the commands and pleads only vaguely, like they were spoken -yelled- through a thick haze. It was like the voices were coming from the opposite shore, across the roaring river of _whatthefuckwhatthefuckwhatthefuck_ that had virtually overtaken Law's focus.

It was a coup d'etat of dread and horror over reason and self-control he had never even noticed happening, and now it was too late.

Without thinking of it, Law was running to him, all thoughts of grace and status discarded.

All he could see and focus on were the black feathers that gleamed in the candlelight because they were _drenched_ in what Law knew was... _Wasn't_ . Because it couldn't be Cora, for Law refused to let it be the closest thing he had to a father lying on the ground, _unmoving._

"Cora-san!" Law heard himself shout, even though the side of him still capable of logical thought knew Cora couldn't possibly hear him - _so much blood, it couldn't be, he couldn't be…_

Law didn't spare too many thoughts to the whys and whos.

 _"Cora!"_

Law shoved the servants off him harshly, with urgency, and crossed the remaining distance between himself and Cora in the blink of an eye. The people around him were still speaking, pleading for him to keep his hands clean of it all, as if they were expecting Law to simply sit by and _watch_ as Cora withered away.

He pushed a stray servant out of his way one last time, and then he was kneeling beside Cora, holding his hand and cataloguing injuries instinctively. Law wiped some of the smeared crimson from Cora's cheek, bile burning the back of his throat.

"No, _hell_ , no… What happened?" he tried to whisper, aghast and horrified, but his breath hitched in his throat and the words came out a strangled croak. Cora was barely conscious, his face a marred mask of pain and blood. His eyes were half lidded and glazed over, but Law made no note of it, because there was _a hole in Cora's chest_ and Law forgot how to breathe.

It took Law many - _too_ many - crucial seconds to gather his wits and put pressure on the wound in Cora's chest, drawing a rough grunt from the wounded man.

"Cora-san, what happened, why are you…" Law muttered brokenly, eyes darting from corner to corner, searching for an easy fix where there was none.

Cora gasped for air, and Law's hands moved on autopilot; checking for his pulse, opening the bloodstained shirt to take a closer look at the injury - _was that a stab wound?_ \- and cleaning it of the excess blood.

A servant came to help him, and another ran out of the room to call for the royal healers, but Law registered none it.

"There's too much… _There's nothing I can do!"_ he yelled in a fit of frustration and dread. What if he was too late, what if…

No, Cora wouldn't leave him, Law wouldn't let the idiot kick the bucket just yet. But there was nothing he could do to magically fix the gaping wound right below Cora's right lung, or to stop the streams of blood from pooling on the floor, and Law had never felt so useless.

Cora's gained some resemblance of focus and affixed on Law, and he grinned despite the chaos reigning in the room, all teeth and no bite, pain but no suffering. Law bit back a desperate sob. The fucker was _dying_ , for heaven's sake and still he smiled like nothing was wrong?

 _Everything_ was wrong!

There was someone near Law, trying to make him leave his adoptive father's side, but all Law saw was the crimson staining Cora's chest and his own hands. _How could this have happened? Who could have done this?_

Law shook his head in a desperate attempt to get rid of the tears burning in his eyes.

Cora's mouth opened and closed like a fish on dry land; gasping for air but finding none. Law took Cora's hand in his, squeezing it in hopes of pulling his adoptive father back from the brink with sheer willpower. "Cora-san, I'm here. It's going to be okay, it's just a scratch."

A strangled sound left Cora, and Law realised that the man wasn't attempting to breathe. He was trying to _speak_.

"Don't talk, Cora-san. It's okay, you're going to be okay," Law said, but it sounded more like than a question than reassurance. "Whatever you want to say you can say later, after you're patched up and good as new. So save it."

He felt Cora squeeze his hand back weakly, and the bastard dared to smile. Law's breath hitched.

"Just stay with me."

Cora's answering nod felt like a punch in the gut and a warm embrace all wrapped in one to Law. Cora's eyes rolled in the back of his head and Law watched as his adoptive father fell limp.

Law wanted to scream and cry, to fix and mend and destroy all at once, but he was paralysed. Helpless.

Without warning, there was a strong pair of hands on Law's shoulders, pulling him away from Cora. Law distantly recognized the low voice as it rumbled in his ear.

"Hush Lawsie, let the professionals help him," Doflamingo whispered. "They know what to do."

 _'Good, since I so obviously don't know a fucking thing,_ ' Law completed in his mind and watched blankly as his father - for he was, for all intents and purposes, his father - was carried away, hidden from his gaze by mountains of gauze and a small army of faceless bodies.

And then Cora was gone, leaving behind nothing but a huge pool of red on the floor and a swarm of questions and accusations in Law's mind. He should have been there, he should have been able to help Cora. But he hadn't.

"Who did this?" Law managed to wheeze out past the lump of emotion in his throat, lips drawn to a tight line.

"I'm sorry Law. I couldn't stop it." Doflamingo said, bridling with fury. " _It_ tried to escape and Cora, he saved my life."

Law didn't understand, but he followed the king's line of sight nonetheless. The room was in chaos; a bookshelf was knocked over and the floor was littered with torn pages and shattered glass. Signs of a scuffle.

But that wasn't what Law fixated on, and suddenly all he could see was _red red red_.

 _Luffy_ was in the room, held down by guards twice his size and struggling to get free. There was a cut in his forehead and a bruise on his cheek, but what captured Law's attention was the blood on Luffy's fins and his tail; smearing the silver patches to a muddled dark sanguine.

Law stared at the young merman for a small eternity, flabbergasted, and his eyes narrowed to slits.

"Why?" Law snarled, words dripping with disbelief and hurt. "Why would you do this? He tried to help you!"

Luffy's head snapped up, attention zeroing in on Law. The merman opened his mouth to defend himself, but his jaw was quickly shut with a guard's large palm and held in place. Luffy's brows knitted together in anger, and he yelled into the palm quieting him, but all that reached Law's ears were muffled shouts filled with rage and indignation.

Law scoffed. A part of him wanted to duplicate every wound on Cora's flesh to Luffy's; to make him hurt like Law did, to take away what was his without a word of forewarning, brutally and viciously.

But the king's hands were still on his shoulders, gentle but unyielding, and Law knew without trying that resisting would be pointless.

"Take him away! Lock him up in the aquariums, or the pond might do just as well. I don't care." He heard Doflamingo say, his voice dripping with every ounce of authority the king beheld. "Place a watch on him at all times, and send word of his… _transgressions_ to Newgate at once."

Luffy struggled and bit the guard's hand, making the poor man grunt out a curse and let go of his captive. Luffy threw the men still holding him off their feet with a swipe of his tail, and didn't stop until he got a few metres' distance between himself and the humans.

"Torao, it's me, Luffy!"

 _'I know that,'_ Law thought, staring hard at the teen.

"I'm innocent! I didn't mean to hurt the feather guy, I wouldn't, I didn't! I tried to-"

"Yes, oh how I _have_ to believe such a compelling argument. Have you looked at yourself?" Law hissed. "You're _covered_ in blood!"

Luffy looked at himself, brushing his hand against the blood on his scales. His voice grew more sombre, almost pleading. "I know this looks bad, but Torao, you-"

His mouth was snapped shut violently and Luffy's hands flew to his jaw, clawing at the invisible strings that silenced him. He glared at the king, enraged, but Doflamingo pretended not to notice.

Law watched one of the guards hit the back of Luffy's head with the butt of his rifle, and Luffy slumped to the ground, unconscious. And then the merman - the murderer - was gone, taken away, and Law truly never wanted to see him in one piece again.

"He won't go unpunished," Doflamingo promised, and Law didn't doubt him.

He could still the bloodied men and women in his mind's eye, torn apart at the seams by threads only the mage could see, blood covering the king as he licked his lips clean of it all, blood covering his own hands, shrouding the tattoos in its crimson, blood on Cora's cheek, blood on Cora, _so much blood_ -

So much blood.

Law felt his body moving on its own accord, staggering to a stand, but he never felt the shards of wood scrunch under his feet or the shard of glass that pierced his shoe and skin.

He heard whispered words and the caw of birds out on the ocean, but he didn't listen to them as he took a slow step, and another, and another. Moved on, eyes wide but blind to his surroundings.

All he _could_ see was Cora's pained grin. It played on repeat, looping over and over again in his head like a broken video player, a faulty den den. The image blurred and sharpened randomly, and the colours were too vibrant, too bright and painful to look at. And yet it was all Law could think of, and he never noticed the tears that ran down his cheeks.

After long minutes - or hours or days, who knew - of staring at it, the image of Cora's grin faded, mixed with darkness and eventually died out to static.

Trafalgar Law did not sleep well that night.


	4. How to Gut a Fish

_**A/N: In case you're interested, the full title for this chapter is**_ **How to Gut a Fish, a Novel by Trafalgar Law.**

* * *

Law strolled down the long corridors of the palace, deep in thought.

He'd been walking aimlessly for hours now, stopping from time to time at a window to stare out to the open sea and listen to the waves crash into the rocks far below him. It was like out of a postcard; serene and soothing and, on any other day, Law could have enjoyed it.

Now he just wanted to smash the open window into pieces. The past three weeks had been a blurry mix of cataclysmic events and conflicting emotions of rage, rancour, and a deep set _need_ for retribution.

A need for blood.

Law closed his eyes, letting out a long, shuddering breath. The image of that merman - _those eyes fierce and defiant, refusing to accept his fate_ \- was irreversibly etched to the forefront of his mind, and Law had been unable to shake the stranger from his thoughts.

He wanted to see the Luffy hang _,_ like a fish from a hook.

Despite his best efforts, Law had been forced to put Cora into a coma in order to give the blond's body a moment's respite and a fighting chance. The incantation would wear off and the herbs lose their power in due time, certainly, but only after Cora's system deemed itself operable. If it ever would. Until then, however, there was nothing to be done but keeping the wound clean, and that infuriated Law beyond belief.

Cora had been moved to the lesser used northern wing, into an infirmary where he could rest away from prying eyes while also being closer to the royal healers' quarters. Law visited him every day, keeping him company from dawn till dusk. He didn't speak; he had nothing to say that Cora didn't already know, and he sure as hell wasn't going to say _that_ word yet.

Law refused to say _goodbye_ , because he refused to let Cora die.

It had been quick, he was told. A late night drink with the king that turned deadly as the merman had broken from his aquarium in the other room, even though he had been explicitly informed that he was now freed - a guest, not a prisoner. The king and his advisor had been interrupted by a yelling Luffy, who had repeatedly demanded to be set free.

Cora tried to talk him down. Luffy didn't listen. Cora wound up in a coma.

Clean and simple on paper, but bloody and oh so painful in reality.

He still found it hard to believe that Luffy had decided to go on a rampage and attack Cora -or anyone for that matter- but the evidence was there. The blood on Luffy's scales and skin had long since been washed away, but the fact that Law had found a small, rosy scale embedded deep into Cora's flesh was undeniable proof of guilt. Not to mention that the there was also the king's testimony to take into account, something nigh impossible to refute or disprove.

Law had no love for the king, but he didn't hate him, either. Doflamingo had taken Law in when Cora had brought him to the castle no more than thirteen years ago; a bleeding mess and a total basket case. He had been a nobody, a pariah and an outcast shunned for no better reason than the vitiligo that spotted his skin, and the interest he held for science instead of magic. And yet Doflamingo had welcomed Law with open arms and witty quips. The king was a dick, that much was for sure, but he had never given any reason for Law to doubt him. Whether he liked it or not, Law owed him the benefit of the doubt for that.

At first, Law had been unwilling to believe that the cheery child he had encountered on that balcony all those years ago had grown into a killer. Luffy had seemed so innocent back then, and Law couldn't help but wonder what had made him resort to such desperate measures.

A cornered animal, Law supposed, was irrational and unpredictable in its behaviour, but that made Luffy's acts no more excusable or forgivable. The wound on Cora's chest would not disappear with a simple _sorry_ , nor would the man wake up by the power of sheer remorse.

The people walking past Law parted around him like a stream of a river sliding around a rock, without ever as much as brushing against the earl. But Law felt nothing like a rock. With the uncertainty of Cora's fate hanging above him, Law's each step felt more labile than the last, more wavering and easier to be pushed off balance.

There were talks of a war. Newgate was enraged, unwilling to believe any of Dressrosa's messengers or ambassadors. He had stated outright that Luffy would not attack an innocent man. Luffy's brother was apparently a big shot of sorts, betrothed to Newgate's son or something of the like, and the merfolk were furious. Law hadn't been paying attention, past the point of caring about anything but Cora and retribution.

There would be hell to pay, screw the peace treaties. Law would willingly march the entirety of Dressrosa's army to wage war with the merpeople, should that prove to be the only way to find justice for Cora.

Law sighed, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. He needed to be at least somewhat coherent, let alone reasonable by the time he would be ushered to meet the king. It was rumoured that Doflamingo, like Law, hadn't slept for more than an hour at a time since that fateful day three weeks ago.

The king had been kept busy with negotiations and plans to ensure peace with the merfolk for as long as possible, and often spent the remainder of his time focusing on the merman's punishments. Sometimes Law would overhear the other healers gossiping about Luffy and the cruelties the king had put him through, but Law never as much as batted an eye.

The nearly ubiquitous gloom that now pervaded every nook and cranny of the castle kept eyes downcast and words hushed. Cora was loved by almost everyone; a good friend and an even better leader, and his endless reserves of positivity and humour were dearly missed. The air was heavy with mourning and worry for the duke, and Law could feel it soaking his very bones with its chill.

It was strange to think that even after everything, even after Law's rock had crumbled to mere shards that made his hands bleed when he tried to hold onto it, despite the fact Cora might die any given second… Even after all that life still went on, undeterred and undisturbed. Should Cora succumb to his injuries there would still be a new tomorrow, a new sunrise and a new day with people laughing and singing and _living_.

The Earth would still rotate around the sun and the stars would remain the same. But Law's world would crumble. And that just couldn't be right.

Once he was summoned, Law stepped through the doors leading to the king's rooms. Doflamingo welcomed him with nothing but a flick of his wrist and a couch that was dragged by magic right beside Law, nearly knocking his feet out from under him. The king was holding a piece of parchment in his hand, studying it intently, and Law couldn't say he appreciated the wait.

"Quit your sulking, Lawsie. All that frowning will give you wrinkles," Doflamingo said, setting the paper aside and looking at Law with an amused smirk. "There's no reason to pout, my boy."

"There's no reason to smirk like a jackass either, but look at you," Law snapped back, and the king let out a haughty laugh.

"I suppose you're right, there are more dire matters to discuss. This business with the merpeople, for one," he admitted. "Why they won't just let me cut the boy's head off and be done with it is beyond me. He is of no importance to anyone."

Law nodded curtly, jaw set and brow furrowed. "It would seem that Whitebeard holds low standards for his people if he is demanding us to release a prisoner accused of attacking a noble."

"Rather peculiar, isn't it? Fufufu, it's almost like the old man is losing his touch," Doflamingo said, the smirk still in place. "You had something you wanted to discuss with me, didn't you Lawsie?"

"Yes," Law agreed, eyes darting to the direction he knew Cora to be. "I want to know what you are going to do with him. The fish, I mean."

Doflamingo picked the sheet of paper back up again, and this time Law could see something written on it with a stylized fine print. "The brat will stay here, until Newgate gets his head back in the game at least. I have him in the pond. Who knows, he might prove himself useful."

"Good," Law said, failing to keep anger from tainting the words. "I hear you've been spending time with it?"

"You're right, we have been getting to know each other," Doflamingo chuckled. "That fish is a stubborn creature, I must give him that much. He refuses to talk to me, but you can rest assured that he is paying for his crimes, either way."

"Happy to hear it," Law offered tersely through clenched teeth.

"About that, actually," the king said, pointing to the letter. "I got this from Newgate's court today. He's not too happy we're still keeping the brat as our prisoner, which he rightfully is. They wish to send a representative to see that he's alive and relatively well."

Law scoffed. "They expect us to treat him like an honoured guest? That's laughable."

"Be that as it may," Doflamingo said and hummed noncommittally, "their man will arrive by dawn, and I expect you to be there to meet him."

"No," Law said outright. "You have got to be kidding me. Like I would ever step even close to another _fish_ , let alone shake one's hand like nothing's wrong!"

"But can't you see? That's exactly why you must go Lawsie," Doflamingo said, and the mirth and the amusement in his voice was as blatant and unhidden as Law's ire.

"I refuse," Law repeated stubbornly. "I don't ever want to see another fish anywhere other than on my plate again, not after what happened."

"I forbid you from treating Cora any further then," Doflamingo replied evenly. "That task should have been left to the royal healers as it is."

"You can't do that, that's not right!"

"Fufufu, just because you don't like it doesn't mean that it isn't right, Law. I am the king, as you would do well to keep in mind, meaning that my word is your command. I decide what is right," Doflamingo stated without missing a beat. "I make the laws, and I can just as well break them."

The earl glared at the older man, hesitant to oblige but fully aware that Doflamingo would undoubtedly follow through with his threat. And as much as the mere thought of playing house with some stuck up trout from the bottom of the sea repulsed Law, giving up his daily visits to Cora's bedside was out of the question entirely.

"Oh, and Lawsie? We don't want to shoot the messenger, so try to behave, please."

Law had to fight the urge to defenestrate the fuck out himself right there and then.

* * *

The messenger, as it turned out, was a tall man with blond hair, drooping eyes, and a piercing blue gaze. He was important, Law knew that much, but for reasons he'd found so tedious and unimportant that he hadn't bothered to listen to the introductions past the man's name.

 _Marco_.

He was a peacock fishman, whatever the hell that was. His scales were a mix of turquoise and blue with yellow, golden swirls adding to the effect and creating a rather interesting visage. It almost looked like the fishman's body and the multiple fins adorning it were made of blue flames.

Thatch, at least, was someone Law could recognize and remember, at least. The other fishman looked older, obviously, but his grin was still carefree as ever and his laughter just as commonplace, if a bit strained.

They were touring the castle for some inane reason Doflamingo had deemed important enough to prioritize over taking the guests to the pond and to Luffy. Law couldn't wait for the day to be over and done with.

No one spoke much, and while the atmosphere wasn't blatantly hostile, Law could feel Marco's eyes on his back at all times. Thatch walked in between the two, babbling non-stop about Dressrosa's cuisine and architecture, even commenting on the passer-by's appearances at random intervals. Law appreciated his attempts to keep the mood relatively light, but the redhead's ramblings grew to be more and more irritating as time passed.

"So, Law," Thatch started, arm wrapped around Marco's shoulder. If he was as pissed off and apprehensive as Law was, he was doing a good job hiding it. "Is there a café or something like that here? I'm _starving_. And I wouldn't mind seeing if the chefs here are worth their salt, either."

Law glared at the fishman almost simultaneously with Marco, but Thatch remained oblivious to their exasperation.

"You know why we're here and who we're here for, Thatch," Marco huffed. "I only want to see Luffy and make sure he's still okay, yoi."

"Yeah, I know you do, pineapple-brain," Thatch admitted, and for the first time Law could see reserved vexation and ire flash in his eyes. "I want to see the kiddo too. Hey, Trafalgar, I think we've seen quite enough of the castle already. Take us to Luffy, would ya?"

Law was more than happy to oblige. Seeing Luffy again would be painful and unpleasant, to say the least, and Law couldn't wait to get back to ignoring his very existence.

He gestured for the fishmen to follow him, and they walked to right courtyard in silence.

The pond wasn't much; just a small lake and a narrow strip of sand that was surrounded by walls on all sides. There was a grate in one of the walls that led to the ocean, but otherwise the area was quartered off and guarded at all times, serving as Luffy's prison.

The merman was nowhere to be seen, but Doflamingo waited for them, leaning against a wall and stretching his arms languidly. The merfolk stopped in their tracks at the sight of the king's wide smile, and Law could swear he heard Thatch curse the man's name.

"Welcome, welcome!" Doflamingo greeted, as if the visitors were in Dressrosa for a tea party instead of passing through to see if their missing merman was still in good health. "I trust Lawsie has taken good care of you until now?"

Marco snorted, remaining impassive but indignant. "We're quite well. Where's Luffy, yoi? We're-"

 _"PINEAPPLE!"_

Marco had no time to react before a blur of red and silver came crashing into him. The blond and the blur careened backwards in a tumble of mismatched limbs and rough grunts, ending with an overly zealous merman sprawled atop the fishman.

"Heh, nice to see you too, kid. Are you okay? They haven't hurt you, right?"

"Nope, shishishi! I've been stuck in this little puddle _forever_ though, and it's so stupid! I miss the ocean."

"I bet you do," Thatch chuckled. "Ace says hi, by the way. He was really pissed he couldn't come too, but he's still a bit banged up and Pops thought he might… Eh, you know how he is."

"Yeah, he would have been really mad. Is he okay?"

"He's fine, yoi. It was just a scratch."

In the meantime Law seethed in silence, glaring openly at the happy reunion. The brat had no right to laugh like that after the havoc he had wreaked on Cora's health and Law's sanity. Whereas Law hadn't been able to sleep or eat for the past three weeks, Luffy seemed undeterred by the turmoil surrounding him; like the weeks of uncertainty and near death had never happened.

The King of Dressrosa chortled merrily beside Law, draping an arm on the earl's shoulders. "Now now, Law, wipe that frown off your pretty face. You look like you're expecting one of them to shoot you in the head at any moment."

"Might as well," Law grumbled, and Doflamingo merely smirked in a way that made Law's skin crawl.

"If your little reunion party is just about done, might I suggest we move on to business?" the king asked, his voice piercing through the gleeful bubble the merfolk had built around themselves.

Marco turned to look at them, his eyes cold and judgemental. "Why is he in a tiny puddle like this? Do you have any idea what you're doing?"

"Well it's not like it's a regular occurrence for us to have to find a holding place for a merman _assassin._ Some discomfort is only warranted after trying to kill Cora-san _,_ " Law rebuked spitefully.

Luffy frowned and crossed his arms. "Torao, you can't say that. I-"

"Don't call me that," Law snapped. "And who then if not you, huh?"

Thatch rolled his eyes and raised his hands in what was probably meant to be a placating gesture, but his long, sharp talons gleamed in sunlight dangerously, watering down the effect.

"Hey, whoa. Hold your seahorses or whatever it is you humans say, no one wants to turn this into a fight."

"Quite right," Doflamingo purred. "As for the matter of prisoner treatment, I have looked over Newgate's little letter, and we accept the terms. Tell him your brat will be taken care of until the trial."

"A trial?" Luffy spluttered. "But I'm not a killer!"

"We'll see about that, won't we? But be it true or not, you're staying here," Doflamingo sneered.

"Can we stay here with him?" Thatch cut in hopefully.

Law shook his head. "That's out of the question. He'll have a guard appointed to him at all times, but this isn't a social call. He's a prisoner, not a visitor."

Marco sighed. "Fair enough. Sorry, Lu, but the case against you is pretty waterproof. We'll find a way."

"Think of it as an adventure!" Thatch suggested, patting Luffy's shoulder encouragingly.

Doflamingo tut-tutted. "But the poor brat will just _die_ of tedium then, won't he? No, as per our agreement, I will appoint him a guard from my own court. Our highest ranking healer, no less."

Law could only stare at the king. "But _I'm_ the highest ranking healer…" he said incredulously, expecting Doflamingo to correct his mistake. Because surely it was nothing but a simple misunderstanding, and the idiot was thinking of someone else and not him. No way.

"Yes, how perceptive of you, Lawsie," Doflamingo chuckled, and the words drained the blood from Law's face and lit his mind aflame with anger.

It wasn't a mistake.

Law forced his face to remain expressionless, but he couldn't help but clench his hands into tight fists and glare at Doflamingo. "You've got to be kidding me!" he shouted, outraged. Law could feel his decorum chipping away, piece by piece, but he honestly didn't give two shits about social conduct anymore. "You can't expect me to watch over that _thing_! I won't do it!"

"Fufufu, it would seem that you're all alone with your pity party, Lawsie," Doflamingo said. "This is what I have agreed upon with our scaly visitors, and it was a direct request from Newgate that someone from my court should tend to our _guest_."

"Pick someone else."

"No," Doflamingo said simply.

Law halfway hoped for Marco or Thatch to say something in protest, but the merman and fishman were too caught up arguing with Luffy to come to his aid. And why should they, anyway, when Law was nothing but a false accuser in their books and an obstacle standing between Luffy and his family? To them, he was just a lesser evil, the devil they knew.

"Pineapple, c'mon, you can't leave me here!" Luffy pleaded. "I want to go home, no one talks to me here."

Marco cleared his throat. "If that's what Pops wants, then it's probably for the best, yoi. Lu, just stay here and wait for us, okay?"

Law glared at the merman, who was waving his arms and whining about how utterly unreasonable it was to leave him alone with _Torao._ He turned to Doflamingo, glowering.

"You cannot make me stay here with the person who put Cora in a coma," Law growled. "I pulled that fish's scale out of his goddamn ribcage, and I will not _chaperone_ someone like that."

"But Lawsie, where's your pride as a healer and all that _'everyone gets treated equally no matter the crime_ ' bullshit you're always talking about?" Doflamingo asked mockingly.

Law snorted. "He needs a babysitter, not a healer. I'm not willing to be either of those," he argued.

Doflamingo seemed to derive great amusement from the merman and the human's anguish, and clearly had absolutely no intention of acceding. Law's shoulders slumped with defeat as the king shook hands with Marco and Thatch, sealing both his and Luffy's fate.

"Don't leave me here," Luffy whined as they began to leave. "I don't want to stay here!"

 _'That, at least, is something we can both agree on,'_ Law thought bitterly.

"Don't worry kiddo, we'll be back before you know it," Marco said, a fraction of a smile tugging at his lips.

Luffy's grin fell for only a moment before he wrapped his arms around Marco and hid his face into the fishman's chest. "Okay, just say hi to Acey and Pops for me?"

"Sure, kiddo."

"Shishishi, that's good. And save me some meat, okay?"

Something snapped in Law's mind; his eyes darkened with anger and his blood boiled, bubbling and burning in his veins like acid. He resisted the urge to kill the teen where he stood, held in place with nothing but sheer self-restraint and respect to the peace treaties. He didn't want to soil Cora's recovery with a war, even if that did sound pretty fucking appealing from time to time.

"Do you have any _idea_ of what he has done?!" Law hissed at Doflamingo. "How can you act so casual about it? He nearly murdered _your_ second hand man, and now you're going to cater to his attacker?"

The already tense atmosphere turned chilling, and Marco looked at Law with a sort of infernal intensity that could have made lesser men tremble. "Do not jump to conclusions, _human._ This isn't ideal for any of us."

"Boo hoo," Law said, turning his back on the fishman. "This may be a _discomfort_ for you, but-"

"Law. Leave," Doflamingo warned, and Law was more than happy to take him up on the offer.

His eyes met Luffy's briefly, cold stares pitted against one another, but there was hurt in Luffy's eyes that wasn't mirrored in Law's. The earl paid it no heed and stormed off with a huff before the merman got a chance to make his case.

Even long after he'd gotten out of the main wing, Luffy's voice rang in Law's ears, taunting and laughing at him. Beyond frustrated, Law barrelled through the servants and other nobles with a scowl that matched his mood.

Cora was in a coma, one that Law had been forced to synthesize because there was a goddamn _hole in his chest_ , left there by the brat's tail, and Luffy seemed completely undeterred. Like he hadn't just all but killed a man. Like he hadn't potentially started a motherfucking _war_?

Law shook his head, nearly blinded by rage. Without realising, he had walked all the way to the northern wing, and found himself standing in the corridor leading to Cora's sickbed.

"Law?"

Monet's voice made Law turn around, hands still balled into tight fists. "What?"

"Are you okay?" Monet asked, brow furrowing with concern. She set down the stack of books and scrolls she was carrying and, much to his surprise, Law let her lead him to sit on a bench. He leaned his head back against the cool stone wall and sighed tiredly.

"Thanks, Monet-ya. But I'm fine."

"Of course you are," Monet said disbelievingly. "You're downright chipper."

"Yeah, sure," Law snorted, but the scowl was soon back in place. He took off his hat to rub the back of his head. "I was at the pond just now, with Doflamingo. He's… He wants me to look after the fish until the negotiations are over and they can set up a trial."

Monet nodded, not looking surprised. "I know. I've been helping the King with the preparations."

"What? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I've been busy," she defended. "Besides, I wanted to tell you, but Young Master asked me not to. Sorry, Law."

"I get it, Monet-ya," Law snapped, immediately regretting his harsh tone. "It's not like knowing beforehand would have made much of a difference. I just need a moment."

"It's the King's orders, Law," Monet pointed out. "You can't disobey."

" _I know_ ," Law groaned, burying his face in his hands. "But he tried to kill Cora, Monet-ya. I could barely keep myself from wringing his neck."

"That would probably not be too good for the peace treaties. At least pick a time when there's not other fishfolk around, Lord knows that no one here would try to stop you," Monet said, and Law couldn't quite tell if she was joking or not.

Monet tried to put a comforting hand on his shoulder, but Law fidgeted away from the touch. Her brow creased with worry. "You know, I was just going to take some new supplies to Roci. I hear he's doing better today."

Law looked up from his hands to peer at Monet, urging her to continue. She chuckled, "I spoke to one of the healers earlier. I didn't understand half of what she was saying, but I think the swelling's gone down a bit."

"That was to be expected," Law said, wondering if the other healers had dared to change the dressings on Cora's wound without his permission. He was itching to go to Cora and see for himself, and didn't bother to hide it.

Monet smiled and handed him the bottled herbs she had been meaning to bring to the infirmary. "You might as well take these with you while you're at it. I'd hate to make two trips."

Law returned the smile as he took the herbs from his friend. "Thanks, Monet-ya."

"No problem."


	5. Terms and Conditions May Apply

Cora was so still.

He was still breathing, sure, and at times his brow might furrow and his lips might twitch, but otherwise Cora was perfectly motionless. And that was what scared Law the most.

His adoptive father couldn't move, obviously, whilst the spell that bound his mind to slumber was still in effect, but it was a frightening sight nonetheless. Law sat by his bedside, equally inert. His face was marred with a vicious, borderline pained snarl and his mind was muddled with fury that had resurfaced as soon as he'd seen Cora.

How could Luffy act like nothing was wrong, like he was innocent? How dare he?

Law was startled out of his reverie when the door creaked open, and his head snapped up to look at the entrance. Maybe it was one of the healers…

"Oh, it's you," Law said, not even bothering to conceal his disappointment. "Did they leave?"

"Sometimes, Lawsie, it astounds me how little respect you hold for your king," Doflamingo chided. "But I'm willing to let it slide this once."

"Thanks," Law said tersely. _"Did they leave?"_

"Yes. Which means that you must go back."

"Hell no."

Doflamingo sighed with mock exasperation, like a parent preparing to scold their child. He sat on the other side of the bed, leaving Cora in between Law and Doflamingo. "You're being ridiculous."

Law ignored him. "Why would you ever make a deal like this? And why would Newgate make this request to begin with?" he demanded to know, grasping at straws.

"Don't put yourself on a pedestal, kid. Falling down from it might sting," Doflamingo chuckled. "While a request was made that _someone_ from my court would tend to the fishling, no one has named you specifically."

"So why me?" Law asked disbelievingly, "I swear, if this is your idea of a joke..."

"I wouldn't do that, not now," Doflamingo sighed, offhandedly running his hands through the thick coat of feathers that adorned his cloak.

"You were chosen because the only person, besides you, who both is a part of my court and is fairly proficient as a healer is Caesar, and I'm not letting that pathetic sack of crap anywhere near our prisoner. Despite what you might believe, Law, I don't want to go to war, and having that clown turn the brat into sushi would probably upset our scaly friends."

"That still doesn't answer my question. Why someone from your court in the first place? What's Newgate getting at?" Law questioned.

"It's a fairly common practice, actually. This way I cannot dump the boy to some commoners or the gallows, no matter how much I would _love_ to, and the fishfolk ensure that he gets guarded properly," Doflamingo explained, "I would do the same thing if I was Whitebeard. You don't have to like it, but you must do it."

"You keep saying that, but what could you possibly do to force my hand?" Law countered with wounded rage, amber eyes falling from Doflamingo to the man lying prone in between them.

"Law, shut up," Doflamingo snapped, and his words lost their previous sweet tone. "This is hard on me too. I am not going to force you to do this, but know that if you don't, they might insist that we let the boy go."

"Right," Law spat out ironically before head even fully processed the words. His eyes widened. _No way in hell._ "They might what?!"

"It's straight from the treaties, Law. The fish is still innocent, and as such he is protected by the pacts," Doflamingo explained, "if one party, _us_ , fails to meet the requests made by the other party, _the merfolk,_ it can be seen as grounds for emancipating the prisoner."

"That's bullshit," Law said incredulously, "why do we have a treaty like that?"

"To be fair, it was instated more for our sake than theirs. The living conditions down there are rather… _unique_ for humans _._ "

Law didn't have a reply to that, and Doflamingo waited silently as Law changed Cora's bandages. The healer grimaced at the gruesome injury on the man's chest, noting that while the swelling had gone down by a fraction, the wound was still far from healed. Doflamingo followed Law's hands with his eyes as they cleaned and dressed the injury, and he seemed to deflate as the old dressings came back from Cora's skin bloodied and stained with inflamed pus. Law hadn't seen the usually flamboyant king this mournful for years.

"I'm sorry, Law," Doflamingo said unexpectedly, and Law's hand almost faltered from its place cleaning a deep scratch on Cora's flesh. He mumbled something inaudible and incomprehensible, slightly disconcerted by the blueness in Doflamingo's voice.

"If I hadn't insisted that the brat should be housed in my quarters, maybe he would be-" Doflamingo trailed off, gesturing helplessly to Cora. "Maybe he would not be here. None of us would."

Law shook his head, setting the ointments and tools aside for the time being. "Too late for that now."

"I know, Law," Doflamingo sighed, stretching his arms and gathering his robes to a more dignifying state. "So I assume you'll do this?"

"It seems I don't have many options if we want to keep the brat here," Law muttered. "I'm going."

Doflamingo nodded and left, a small army of servants and guards trailing after him. Security was tight, raised to a damn near unnecessary level of scrutiny and precaution, but it was only to be expected. In fact, Law was grateful for the two heavily armed guards that kept an eye on his adoptive father at all times. They didn't need any more surprise attacks.

Law fixed the sheets covering Cora's legs, his brow knitting together in thought. If he'd refuse to meet Luffy, the savage would walk -swim, whatever- away from the castle unscathed and away from Law's reach faster than anyone could say _conviction._

"What should I do, Cora-san?" Law asked, but all the comatose man could offer him was silence. And Law already knew what Cora would have said if he'd been able to.

 _'You're pouting for no reason, Lawsie, I'll be just fine. Just get off of your high horse now and do what needs to be done.'_

Something like that.

Law clenched his eyes shut in annoyance, somehow feeling like _he_ was the prisoner here, not Luffy. He got up from his seat slowly, resigning to his fate, and nodded his thanks to the guards that let him out. He walked to the pond with slow strides, stalling the inevitable.

He stepped through the archway leading to the merman's prison with a bitter scowl, expecting to see Luffy swimming happily in the pond or building a damn sandcastle. He wouldn't have been too surprised to see Luffy smiling or singing to himself like the perfect picture of cheerful innocence, either.

Instead, Law saw no one. For a fleeting moment of torrid panic and frantic searching, Law screened the shoreline and the water for a red tail and a raven head, but Luffy was nowhere to be seen.

Had he escaped?

Logically speaking it should have been virtually impossible for Luffy to escape; the pond was heavily guarded and the only way leading to the ocean was a grate that too had been sealed off. As far as Law knew, the bars were too strong for a mere merman to tear off, leaving Luffy no way out, but there was a taunting voice in the back of Law's head that kept whispering menacing words and spurring doubt and dread in his heart.

What if he had gotten out? What if Luffy was _gone,_ swimming for his life somewhere far away from Law and Cora and _justice?_ They'd never get him back from the mermen, and the thought of letting the teen off the hook without punishment was infuriating to Law.

"Shit!" Law shouted in a fit of frustration, punching the wall surrounding the pond hard enough to leave a crack. He wiped his now bloody knuckles on his robe, paying no mind to the stains.

"I didn't notice you come in."

Law's head snapped to the side in an instant. He had been expecting to see Luffy swimming and frolicking so much that he had completely overlooked the merman as he was now; still and sullen, sitting at the waterline with only his tail submerged in the dark water.

"Lost in thought?" Law asked mockingly. "Thinking about any more assassination attempts I should know about?"

"Screw you," Luffy snapped, hurt in his voice. "I'm not a _killer_."

"No, just damn close to being one," Law spat back sardonically, kicking the ground with the heel of his boot.

"Just go away, Torao," Luffy said through his teeth, glaring at Law. "If you're going to be like this, I have nothing to say to you."

"Stop calling me that. Is your tiny shrimp brain even _capable_ of comprehending the gravity of this situation?" Law hissed, anger drawn on every line of his face. "Because it's a mighty fine mess, _fish_."

The word fish sounded a lot like an insult coming from Law's lips, and Luffy recoiled with a fierce glare that bordered on a snarl. "I didn't murder anyone, so stop saying that! Jerk."

Law raised a condescending eyebrow. "You call yourself innocent?" he repeated disbelievingly. "That's rich."

"I never asked for your company," Luffy said, bitter and full of anger. "Just go away."

"Oh, you better believe that I would if I could. But make no mistake, I hate you for what you did."

"I didn't-" Luffy gasped without thinking, but caught himself in the nick of time. He gnawed on his lower lip hesitantly. "I don't think I hurt the bird guy," he mumbled, almost too low for Law to hear, "but I'm not sure anymore."

Law huffed. "What could that possibly mean, fish? You either almost killed my… You either almost killed _Cora,_ or you didn't. And all the evidence and the witness accounts point to you."

"I know," Luffy said, frowning. He said nothing more.

"Why'd you do it then?" Law asked quietly, surprising even himself.

"I don't know. I don't know much of anything. But I _do_ know I didn't want to hurt anyone, and I really don't want another…" Luffy said, trailing off with and hanging his head until the brim of his straw hat casted a shadow over his eyes. "I don't want another war. I _hate_ wars."

A snide remark nearly left Law's tongue; something along the lines of _should have thought of that before attacking a noble,_ but he bit it back as soon as he opened his eyes and saw Luffy.

The teen looked completely miserable, a sharp contrast to the cheery act he'd put on when the fishmen came. He'd hung his head and wrapped his arms around himself protectively, and Law could've sworn that he saw the merman's shoulders shake with slight sobs.

Law rolled his eyes, assuring himself that it was all an act. "What are you crying about?" he asked with a mocking undertone to his words. "Never been incarcerated before?"

"I'm not crying" Luffy snapped, and the defiant look returned as quickly as it had vanished. "Shut up."

Law wasn't going to argue with Luffy on that, and they settled into a heavy silence. He watched Luffy idly scribble some shapes and squares to the sand with his finger, creating a completely indecipherable image that would have probably been greatly appreciated in modern art circles. To think that only three weeks ago Luffy had brutally and mercilessly attacked Cora, and now he was just carelessly doodling some crappy chicken scratch on the sand?

It was so ironic and unjust, and yet somehow _odd._

Why was Luffy flat out refusing to answer any of Law's questions, when the nine year old merboy he had met all those years ago would have jumped at the chance? Luffy seemed like the type to always wear his heart on his sleeve, to absorb every blow and to take them with a smile, which made the teen's current dishevelled and dejected state that much more puzzling.

Every question Law had asked the teen had been spat back in his face, even though Luffy had nothing to lose and everything to gain by revealing his side of the story. So why the secrecy?

He highly doubted that the fish had the patience required to play coy. The very thought made Law snort, and the sudden sound surprised Luffy and made him flick his tail reflexively. Luffy grimaced slightly at the sudden movement, but hid his discomfort quickly with a scowl. However, Law didn't fail to notice it.

"Does that hurt?" he asked dutifully, even if he rather hoped that whatever ailed Luffy's tail stung like a bitch.

Luffy shrugged noncommittally. "'M peachy."

"Right," Law hummed and kicked the teen's tail without a word of forewarning. If the kick was a tad harsher than necessary, then that was purely a coincidence.

Luffy cried out in pain and clutched his tail closer to his body, glowering at Law. "Oww! What was that for?"

Law rolled his eyes. "What's wrong? I thought you said you were in tip-top shape?"

"Shove it. It's not like you even give a shit," Luffy muttered, but the human made note of the way he curled his tail closer to himself as if he could shield it from Law's gaze. Luffy affixed his focus elsewhere, staring at a rock by Law's feet instead of the man himself. "And it's none of your business, anyway."

"Sure, you seem to be perfectly fine," Law sneered, but a pang of guilt made the words sound sour.

Like it or not, he respected his vow as a healer too much to let Luffy's pain slide. He wouldn't be able to walk out of the courtyard without ensuring that the man who'd tried to kill his adoptive father was in full health, no matter how much he hated it.

Law sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Let me see," he ordered and grabbed Luffy's fins roughly without waiting for a reply. Luffy protested, clearly affronted by Law's ministrations, but he was pointedly ignored. Law was too caught up with examining the foreign appendage with scientific curiosity.

Holding the merman's tail and feeling the muscles underneath flickering and undulating in the palm of his hand was enthralling to Law. Luffy's tail practically _vibrated_ with power and grace, unparalleled by anything Law had ever seen in his life, and yet the limb was nowhere near healthy. The muscles were weary and tensed under Law's touch, and the scaly surface was marred by cuts and bloody abrasions.

Law's lips pursed in disapproval. "You aren't a good liar, kid. You need to take better care of your body."

"Not my fault," Luffy grumbled. Law rolled his eyes and ran his finger over a particularly nasty cut on tail, making Luffy flinch away from the sharp pain. Luffy let out a low curse in a language Law didn't know, but he didn't resist further and just watched with a mixture of apprehension and curiosity as Law's tattooed fingers examined every centimetre of his tail and the scales.

"Is this why you don't haven't been swimming?" Law asked absently. "The salt water causes you discomfort?"

Luffy huffed, crossing his arms stubbornly. "No, I just haven't felt like going into the water, that's all."

He really was a piss-poor liar.

"If you say so," Law replied indifferently, oblivious to Luffy's wince as he turned the tail around in his hand. The other side was also littered with scrapes and bruises; nothing severe, but definitely enough to sting.

Law supposed that the red pigment of the merman's scales must have served as camouflage for the wounds, but it wasn't exactly like anyone would have cared to listen even if he _had_ asked for help. Law certainly wouldn't have spared him a second glance had he been given a choice.

Law screened the teen's tail meticulously, making note of each bruise and torn scale and cataloguing each pained hiss that slipped through Luffy's lips. He didn't realise that something was missing until he was all but done with the unplanned check-up, and when he did, it seemed blaringly obvious.

 _Nothing was missing._

"But-" Law trailed off, clutching the scaly appendage with intensity that rubbed his skin raw. "Nothing's missing? Where's the wound? There must have been blood, losing a scale like that-"

His train of thought derailed, and Law forgot brakes existed; his thoughts were running too fast for his mind to catch up, leaving him stranded. He shook his head to clear his mind of the sight of a bloodied scale and a bloodied blond, but to no avail.

"What scale?" Luffy asked, unknowingly snapping Law out of his reverie. "I haven't lost a scale since I got these ones like five years ago. Torao, what's wrong?"

Law blanched, letting the peculiar nickname slide. He flipped Luffy's tail roughly, with urgency, and checked it from front to bottom. No scales were missing. Torn, yes, and twisted out of place, but none were missing.

"I have to go," Law murmured, deep in thought, and left the confused merman in his wake as he got back on his feet and all but ran back into the castle. Nothing was right, and nothing made sense. He'd found a scale in Cora's chest, red and small like the ones he'd just seen covering Luffy's tail, and now-

Law felt like smacking himself.

He had read about the merfolk from his books, even more so after he'd visited the merfolk in his teens. Law _knew_ that mermen shed their scales to make way for new ones once they turned thirteen and reached adolescence, much like a snake shedding its skin except for the fact that an adult's scale would _never_ grow back once removed.

Law reached his quarters with fast, long strides, nearly tearing his door off its hinges and knocking over a vase or a dozen in his hurry. He threw some papers and parchments he'd been actively ignoring for the past weeks to the floor, soon uncovering a small case adorned with intricate carvings. It had stood in the same place for almost a decade, untouched since the second Law had finished examining its contents.

Law opened the box with baited breath, unsure of what he was hoping to find. His eyes widened in surprise, and the small chest clattered to the floor, abandoned.

The scale Law had gotten from Luffy ten years ago was gone, and Law had a bad feeling that it was now lying discarded in some evidence pile, painted with Cora's blood.

 _Luffy was innocent._

Law could hardly believe it, and yet it seemed like the only version of truth that made sense.

He felt numb. The past three weeks he had been hating the wrong man, all in vain. And now that he didn't know who to believe and who to resent, Law was adrift. The anger he'd held for Luffy dissipated and died, until it was reduced to a mere ember of confusion and disbelief.

Law walked back to the pond in haze, only vaguely making note of the people surrounding him. He sat on the damp sand without ever noticing the way his robes soaked in the humidity and grew waterlogged in no time.

 _Luffy was innocent._

But if that was true, then who tried to kill Cora three weeks ago?

He heard the quiet crashing of the surf on the pond's shore and felt its splatters on his skin, but Law was too caught up with his disarrayed thoughts to focus on anything else. He felt Luffy poke his cheek softly.

"Torao?"

Luffy sounded uneasy, worried even.

"Luffy-ya," Law said, speaking the merman's name out loud for the first time in a decade. "Tell me about that night, please."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Dun dun duuunn... Sorry about the late update! Please tell me what you think, what you like, what could be changed, anything! Until next time ~  
**_


	6. Intermission

_"Look, Ace, it's shiny!" Luffy called out, holding a small rusted fork in his hand. It was far from shiny and had only two prongs left, but Luffy didn't seem to mind. Ace frowned exaggeratedly._

 _"Lame," he coughed into his hand. "Sorry. There was definitely something in my throat."_

 _Luffy put on a pout. Ace grinned unapologetically._

 _"That thing is a second away from falling apart, Lu, just dump it," Ace suggested, swatting the fork from his brother's hand. "You always find the weirdest stuff, bro."_

 _Luffy laughed, leaving the rusty fork behind without a fight. "But they're cool!"_

 _"Only to you Lu," Ace said, rolling his eyes fondly._

 _Luffy had a bad habit of hoarding_ cool _things he found on the ocean bottom to their home, and his room was all but filled with trinkets and colourful rocks. Ace had to admit that at times the younger did manage to scrounge up some pretty decent stuff, like the twisted anchor he'd found near the palace, or the small bronze statue he'd brought home one day after a camping trip with Thatch._

 _"Anyway, I think I saw some fish in the eastern reef. Time for dinner?" Ace asked, even though the answer was obvious._

 _"Yes, I'm starving already," Luffy beamed, pushing himself off the seafloor with one smooth and strong motion._

 _"What else is new?" Ace laughed, earning himself a round of snickers from Luffy._

 _"Let's race!" he declared, shoving Ace off balance and shooting off in a flash of red and silver. Ace chuckled and grinned, accepting the challenge. He took his leisurely time brushing himself off and watched as his brother swam as fast as he could. But not fast enough._

 _"Shouldn't you have learned by now that you're no match for my awesomeness?" Ace called after Luffy, stretching the words into a mocking song._

 _"I'm going to win this time!" Luffy yelled over his shoulder, already getting close to the eastern reef. Ace shook his head._

 _Luffy was a decent enough swimmer even on merfolk standards, and could definitely hold his own in a fight. But he still fell shot whenever he challenged his brothers, which was often. Ace's coppery scales reflected the gloomy light of the nearby plants onto the sand that surrounded them, and he marvelled in the sight for a split second before swimming after his little brother._

 _The impromptu race was over before it fully started. Ace swum after Luffy, his golden tail cutting through the water with sharp and powerful strokes. Luffy let out an undignified yelp when Ace hit him and slammed them both on the ground, pushing his brother into the sand with his body weight._

 _Ace smirked cockily, rubbing his victory in Luffy's face._

 _"Ace, leggo!" Luffy growled and squirmed in a vain attempt to free himself. Ace laughed in his face, leaned in close until he really was sitting on Luffy's back, efficiently pinning him down._

 _"Or what?" he taunted, "You'll kick my ass?"_

 _"Damn right I will!" Luffy yelled and launched a second attempt at freeing himself, but Ace wasn't about to budge anytime soon. "Let go of me already!"_

 _Ace pretended to consider it, cupping his chin with his hand as if thinking._

 _"Nah, don't feel like it."_

 _"You're an asshole, you know that right?" Luffy grumbled._

 _"You have to say the magic words!"_

 _Luffy tried to twist himself out of Ace's hold, but he knew it was just as useless as all his other attempts. He slumped to the ground, looking away from Ace petulantly. "Okay, okay, I give, let go of me already."_

 _Ace puffed his chest proudly and swam upwards with a flick of his tail, doing a little victory dance. "And in a not so surprising turn of events, the challenger, Monkey D. Luffy, has realised his utter lack of skill in comparison to the victor, Portgas D. Ace!"_

 _"Like I said," Luffy pointed out with a grin that was only slightly watered down by the humiliation of defeat. "You're such an asshole."_

 _"Whoever taught you that word to begin with?" Ace wondered out loud, shaking his head. "What fun is there calling someone an asshole when our kind doesn't even have those?"_

 _"Thatchy told me, he heard it from some human guest. It sounds funny," Luffy shrugged and they got back on track towards the eastern reefs and towards dinner._

 _Luffy rambled about some cool thing one of the guards, Zoro, had shown him and Ace nodded along, listening with amusement. His brother truly befriended the oddest people sometimes; a perch type fishman with an apparent obsession with swords, a human historian who'd taken an interest in the merfolk, a sniper with the longest nose Ace had ever seen and a redheaded thief who probably still had Ace's wallet.._

 _It was truly an odd cast of friends, which was why it fit Luffy so well._

 _They made quick work of the fish, a result of years spent roaming the seas together hunting for food. Luffy made a game out of it, seeking a way to redeem himself after losing their brief scuffle earlier, and Ace was more than happy to step up to the challenge. They swam after the fish as they escaped in a blind frenzy, using their superior speed and strength to their advantage and leaving no fish uneaten._

 _Luffy took the lead once they got out of the reefs and got back to the open water, a fish in hand and another one in his mouth. Ace followed amiably, amused by Luffy's attempts to talk and eat at the same time. He seemed to be torn between eating the fish quickly so he could talk unhindered and eating it bit by bit to savour the taste, seeing as they only had two fish left each. A light snack._

 _"Hey, Acey," Luffy started after they'd finished eating. "We don't have to go home just yet, right?"_

 _Ace hummed. "No, I don't think so. I'm not needed for anything right now, but we are pretty far from home as it is, you know. I think there's human settlements nearby, actually."_

 _"Really? That's weird," Luffy mused. A wide grin split his face and he threw his hands in the air excitedly, doing a little twirl. "We could go see Robin, or Nami or Usopp! I haven't seen them in ages, Ace,_ please! _"_

 _"I don't think we have that much time on our hands," Ace said, inwardly chiding himself for telling Luffy about the humans. The dork had way too many human friends to ignore the opportunity to meet them when one presented itself._

 _"We haven't been gone that long," Luffy protested, and Ace could see the beginnings of a pout on his face._

 _"Yeah we have. It's been almost a week," he countered._

 _"Stingy."_

 _"Moron."_

 _The fact of the matter remained that they hadn't the time, so Luffy accepted his fate and trailed after Ace; grumbling about stupid brothers and the even more stupid responsibilities that awaited them back in the palace. Ace found it rather funny, much to the younger's further annoyance._

 _They made a camp for the night out of an old cave, settling side by side near a group of plants that emitted both light and heat to make matters more comfortable. The ocean floor got colder by nights -an aftereffect of some hot water currents that only worked from dawn to dusk- so the warmth was more than welcome. Despite their scales and tough skins, mermen got cold, too._

 _It was near midnight, when the sea was almost lightless and at its coldest, when Ace was woken by his brother's hushed voice._

 _"Acey, wake up."_

 _"Go away, Lu. Trying to sleep ere," Ace slurred, still half asleep._

 _"There's someone outside," he heard Luffy say with urgent curiosity in his words._

 _All remnants of sleep discarded, Ace jumped awake, eyeing their surroundings warily. Indeed, there was a strange rustling noise circling their little camp; low whispers and the sounds of metal clinking against metal._

 _"What the fuck?" Ace hissed, confusion clear in his tone._

 _His brow furrowed. There weren't many creatures that posed a real threat to merfolk. At the top of the food chain, mermen were natural predators and even though they only killed to survive, most sea dwellers avoided confrontation with their talons and tails nonetheless. So, by that logic, nothing should have been brave enough to bother two full grown -debatable in Luffy's case- mermen in their slumber._

 _Whatever it was, it had to be either incredibly stupid or incredibly courageous, and probably hellishly strong. Ace hid a frown with feigned laughter, ruffling Luffy's messy hair._

 _"It's probably nothing but some overgrown shrimp. What would you say to a late night snack?" he joked, catching Luffy's attention. "Hey, one time deal. How about you go back to sleep and I go fetch us some grub?"_

 _Luffy was all too ready to comply, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "Yeah, I'm tired. And hungry."_

 _Ace sighed a breath of relief, knowing that the little idiot would be safe in the caves. "I'll be right back, Lu."_

 _"Okay," Luffy beamed, yawning without a care in the world. Ace was still smiling at the sight when he swam out of the cave._

 _He saw no one at first, but there were tremors cutting through the otherwise still waters; small currents that shouldn't have been there but were nonetheless. Almost like footsteps. Ace could hear unfamiliar voices and vaguely make out a word here and there, none of them kind, all of them bloodthirsty and crass. The merman tensed, his tail coiling for action._

 _These men were hardly stopping by for a mere courtesy call._

 _Surprised yelps broke the silence as the newcomers spotted Ace's bright tail, and the merman was soon surrounded. He hit the first one head on. Fist met face, and Ace relished the undignified grunt that left the fishman's lips as his nose broke._

 _The second one was a human, Ace was pretty sure of it. He had brandished a coral that enabled him to breath underwater, and held a spear in his hand. Ace's tail hit him in the chest, knocking the wing from his lungs, and Ace stole the man's spear while he gasped for air._

 _The spear found its new home in another human's shoulder, and the blood that painted the water made Ace smirk, eyes gleaming. He didn't know who these people were or what they wanted, but he had been hankering for a fight for weeks. Sparring with Luffy just did so much to sate his thirst for a good brawl._

 _The man cried out as his shoulder was impaled, but Ace had no mercy for men that had tried to ambush him and his little brother. Fuelled by protective anger, the merman ducked under a sword and growled as he sent the man slamming into the sand. He hoped that the sounds of the fight would not wake Luffy, banking on the fact that he tended to sleep like a rock._

 _Ace grunted out in pain as one of the blurry figures opposing him slashed his tail with something sharp, but the pain did nothing but strengthen his resolve. The man who'd hurt him got his air bubble smashed to smithereens, and he swam away in panic, already fiddling with a new coral._

 _The last attacker circled him, a shark fishman with gleaming teeth and murder in his eyes, but Ace was unperturbed. One left._

 _"What do you want?" he growled._

 _The stranger scowled in distaste. "Our mission is none of your concern, warrior of the Newgate regime."_

They were outcasts, _Ace realised, merfolk that had turned their backs on the kingdom and chosen to offer their services as freelancers instead. That didn't bode well; vagabonds like the ones attacking him were unpredictable at best and downright volatile at their worst._

 _"No? You should know that upsetting Pops isn't a smart move, fishman," Ace snarled despite his apprehension. "And neither is threatening my brother when I'm around."_

 _The man snorted and said nothing, but his silent condescending alone was enough to make Ace launch at the man without thinking. It was just the opening the fishman had been looking for, and his sharp teeth embedded themselves deep into Ace's tailfin, tearing it and drawing a pained grunt from the merman._

 _"Shit," Ace muttered to himself. "It's all torn."_

 _The fishman leered at him and licked Ace's blood off its razor sharp teeth_ , _clearly satisfied with the attack._

 _"You think you're tough, don't you? The king of the hill, top dog, hot shit?" Ace scoffed, unimpressed._

 _The shark laughed and aimed a swipe of its sharp fins to Ace's midriff. Coal eyes narrowed threateningly, and Ace slammed the fishman down to the ground with the same move he'd used only hours prior to pin down his little brother. Ironic._

 _Ace grinned, panting slightly. "Hate to break it to you- or actually no, I_ love _to be the one to tell you," he mocked, leaning closer. "But you're not good enough to beat me."_

 _The fishman gaped at Ace with unfocused eyes, but the merman spared no mercy and wasted no time in finishing the job, knocking his attacker's lights out with a single punch. He looked at his surroundings contently. The unconscious fishman excluded, none of the original six outcasts had stuck around, opting instead to using the confusion of the fight to their advantage._

 _He looked at his tail, taking in the torn tailfin and the laceration that run from his hip down to the side of his tail. No big deal, really, but he still needed patch them up before the scent of blood would attract even more predators. A new fight would definitely rouse Luffy's suspicions, and Ace wasn't about to let the little moron to take on a small kraken with a taste for mermen flesh._

 _Ace laughed, still riding his adrenaline high. "Oi, Luffy! You must've been just imagining it, there was no one out there. Did you just have a nightmare, crybaby?" he called out as he swam back into the caves. No response. Ace huffed affectionately, assuming that Luffy had slept his way through the entire fight._

 _He looked absently at the bleeding cuts marring his lower body._ Right _. "Or, okay there was someone out there, but nothing important. And no food, either! What an outrage... Anyway, on a totally unrelated note, we didn't happen to bring any first aid stuff with us, did we?"_

 _Still nothing. A small monster feeding off of dread and worry made its home in the pit of Ace's stomach and put a scowl on his face. He picked up the pace despite his hurt tail. "Lu? Wake up already."_

 _He reached the opening of the cave, where he'd left Luffy. Ace had expected to see the teen curled up in the same corner he'd been sleeping in earlier, mumbling about meat and adventures deep in the dream world. But instead, he saw nothing, and the small monster of fear and dread grew in size until it overtook every cell of Ace's being, leaving only some breathing room for the elder brother's flaring temper._

 _"Luffy, for fuck's sake, this isn't funny. I'm bleeding!" he admonished his brother, but the words came out in a nearly panicked cry. The small spitfire was nowhere to be found._

 _Ace scoured the cave, swimming frantically from corner to corner. His eyes caught a splatter of red floating in the water, colouring some barnacles in its crimson. Ace hadn't smelled the new trail earlier, for the water was already tainted with his own blood, but he should have known._

 _He was the big brother, so he should have_ felt _it if his younger sibling got hurt. And yet, Luffy was gone, and the grim reality if his brother's absence screamed words of menace and hatred in Ace's face, deriding. The voice was hauntingly familiar._

 _Ace searched and searched, but the grinning face was gone and the raven head nowhere to be found. And it was all his fault._

 _"Ace!"_

 _Sabo was gone, and now Luffy was gone too, maybe even dead. And what had Ace done to stop any of that?_

 _Nothing. Not a thing._

 _Useless._

"Ace!"

 _"It's your fault, you didn't protect him. You're a failure," the voice whispered, and Ace bit back tears when he recognized the speaker._

 _Sabo had always been honest to a brutal extent._

"ACE!"

Marco smashed his forehead against the merman's, bringing Ace back to reality. "Ace, snap out of it! It's just in your head, Luffy's okay!"

Ace opened his eyes slowly, but the sight of his betrothed was blurry and warped. He blinked, shaking his head in embarrassment as he realized what had just happened. "Sorry, I must've drifted off," he mumbled. "I'm okay."

"No you're not, and don't insult me by pretending otherwise, yoi. You're shaking, for god's sake," Marco chided, but where there should've been heat and scorn, Ace could hear only concern and empathy. "Thinking about that day again?"

"Yeah," the merman admitted shakily. "Wait, what are you doing here? I didn't think you'd return until after the trial."

"I thought so too, but turns out that the humans weren't too keen on hosting our sorry asses, yoi," Marco said, but the words rang hollow in both their ears. "I saw Luffy."

Ace's breath hitched and his words came out a croak. "You did?"

"He seems okay, considering the circumstances," Marco nodded, gaze softening. "He says hi."

"That's good, he's okay," Ace muttered, more to himself than Marco. "Not that I was worried, that airhead always bounces back from anything. Fool's luck, or maybe the devil's?" he laughed shakily, still trying to ward off the memories of that fateful fight and the empty cave.

Marco sighed. " _Of course_ you weren't worried, yoi. It's just blatantly obvious that you're not concerned for your little brother's safety in the slightest," he said sarcastically, but couldn't keep a small grin off his face. Ace's laugh had been a hard thing to come by for the past month.

"Glad to hear we're on the same page." Ace winked, letting out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding. Having his betrothed back after a long week of solitude was a relief to say the least, and his presence made Ace feel more at ease than he'd been in ages.

"So, tell me more. How were they treating him? When's the trial? Do they have a case?" Ace rushed all in one breath, voicing all of the thoughts that had been plaguing him for the past weeks.

"Whoa, whoa," Marco said, slightly amused by the onslaught of questions. He lifted his hands in surrender. "One thing at a time."

"Have they been feeding him?" Ace asked, brow furrowing. "You know how much Lu can scarf down."

Marco struggled to keep up his nonchalant mask and averted his eyes. What could he say when the truth was that, despite his bright grin and carefree behavior, Luffy had looked like a ghost in comparison to the boy who'd left the castle with Ace a month ago. How could Marco possibly tell Ace that Luffy's ribs had practically stabbed Marco's chest when the teen had slammed into him?

"They're giving him fish, I think. And he was in a small lake, so he can probably hunt his own food from that."

Ace looked up and met his betrothed's gaze evenly, measuring the man with his eyes. He'd known Marco since the he had been found fighting for survival on the ocean floor with his brothers. Without Pops and his family, they would probably have died long ago, and Ace was grateful for that.

Not only had the king of all merfolk taken them in, never minding that the three of them had been but little runts without manners or anything to offer to the court, but Whitebeard had also given them a home and a family. After spending thirteen years with the seemingly impassive fishman, Ace liked to think that he knew Marco better than most, if not better than anyone.

And Ace knew when his mate was lying through his teeth, too.

"He isn't okay, is he, pineapple brain?" Ace demanded to know with a whisper, his golden tail flicking impatiently. It was still covered in bandages, but Ace paid no mind to the painful protest it gave at the movement.

Marco let out a weary sigh, knowing full well that trying to fool Ace had been a lost cause from the very beginning. "He's a prisoner, yoi. He's alone and bored out of his mind, but he's not dead. You didn't lose him."

"Tell me the truth this time," Ace implored with a strained tone. "How is he being treated?"

"He's in water and he has some breathing room. I didn't see any restraints or signs of more mistreatment. His tail is pretty banged up, but that could easily be a gift from the slavers," Marco said flatly, knowing that he was downplaying the truth again.

"So he's hanging in there… I shouldn't have doubted it, that little moron probably doesn't even realise what a mess he's gotten himself into," Ace mused, hiding the worry welling in his chest despite the fact that it almost stole him of his breath. He rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly. "Do they have anything to base these false claims on?"

"The king wasn't willing to share that with us, but I doubt they have much," Marco wagered a guess.

"They must have something, if Donquixote wouldn't budge," Ace thought out loud. He pushed away from Marco and swam to the door hurriedly. "I'm going to talk to Pops about it, maybe he'll let me go see Lu!"

 _Free Lu._

"Hey, watch it," Marco called out after the merman, shaking his head exasperatedly. "You're still healing, Ace, you're going to tear up your stitches!"

But Ace wasn't listening, already out the door and well on his way to his father's quarters by the time Marco had finished.

His tail ached dully with every flick and swish that cut through the water and propelled the merman forward, and his glide was a far cry from the effortless dance through the tides that Ace was used to.

The bandages were clumsy and hindered his movements, and if he'd had any say in the matter, Ace would have taken them off the second they'd been put on. But alas, Izo had made it frighteningly clear that should he ever see Ace swimming without them, the younger merman would have something much worse than a little cut to worry about.

Izo could be downright terrifying when he wanted to, and Ace preferred to keep his body parts attached, so… The dressings were not really optional.

He didn't bother to knock on Whitebeard's door, not even realizing that it was close to midnight. Pops' door was always open, anyway. Ace burst in, landing on the giant squid fishman's bed with a thump and a soft grunt as his injuries were jarred further. Newgate pulled his son up with a smile and Ace settled on the foot of the bed, eager to make his case. Eager to see Luffy.

He only hoped that his intentions weren't as transparent as he thought.

"What's troubling you, brat?" Whitebeard rumbled fondly, opening a large bottle of grog and offering Ace a cup. "To calm your nerves."

"Thanks," Ace said and downed the cup with a single gulp, cherishing the burn. "I need to go see Lu."

"Your brothers have just returned from a week's journey to the humans' regions, and now you want to go on one just like it?" Newgate asked, raising an eyebrow at the young merman, "Don't you believe them when they say your brother is alive and well?"

"Of course I do, but I think there's more to it," Ace explained, "Humans are fickle, Pops. I don't especially love the idea that one wrong move from Luffy might take him straight to the chopping block."

"Luffy _is_ a prisoner, and a suspect of an attempted murder. I cannot let you simply waltz in there when he has not been harmed and the trial is yet to be held."

"But he's _alone_ , and surrounded by humans who have no idea what to do with him!" Ace protested a bit more heatedly than he'd intended to. "I can't just stay in the side lines when they might send a messenger tomorrow telling us that my brother has been executed."

That was Ace's worst fear, really; to hear a faceless message of another brother being trapped in between powers greater than any merman could ever be. To hear one day that Luffy had died without a goodbye, and that Ace as his older brother had not assured his survival. That he wouldn't be given a chance to help Luffy, just like with...

"I will not stay here and wait for Luffy to stand trial. We all know how easy it is to manipulate a judge with the popular opinion," Ace said, words dripping with contempt and determination. "And right now the popular opinion is that my brother has attacked and almost killed one of the most beloved people in all of Dressrosa."

"So what would you have me do, Ace?" Whitebeard said wearily, suddenly looking decades older than he was. "Send my sons and daughters to war for a single man, when he is in no immediate danger and all we've heard is that he is cared for?"

"No, I… I don't know, Pops!" Ace said in a fit of frustration and got off the bed, spreading his hands helplessly. "We can't go to war, we can't take it after the last one. And I don't want to endanger anyone, I just need to see Luffy, okay? I need to make sure he's okay."

 _I need to bring him home._

"Gurarara, you really are something, my son," Whitebeard chuckled, but the laugh didn't quite reach his eyes. "However, as I said, I cannot send anyone with you, and I cannot give you the permission to go to the world above."

Ace punched the bed frame in anger and opened his mouth to start the argument all over again, but the King of the Seas silenced him with a wave. Whitebeard winked. "But that has never stopped you before, has it?"

"No, Pops, it hasn't," he grinned back. "Thanks."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Thanks for reading!**_


	7. Hook, Line and Sinker

Luffy was sick and tired of life as a prisoner.

Someone had once mentioned in passing that it had been almost two months since he'd been taken, give or take a week or two. Luffy didn't quite believe that _-surely it had been longer than a measly month or two_?- but he had no way to check that, not when the hours blurred together and seemed to stretch into one long, never ending day of utter boredom and solitude.

It hadn't been too bad when he'd been with the slavers. At least back then he'd always had someone to talk with, and that had been kind of nice, even if they weren't the nicest people Luffy'd ever met. In the castle, however, he was mostly alone. It was gruelling and mind numbing for the first week, when he'd had nothing but his muddled thoughts to accompany him and no place to hide from them.

Luffy had been going stir crazy without friends to joke around with, so he had welcomed the king's first visits with open arms and a cheery grin. It didn't take him long to realise, however, that Doflamingo wasn't looking to make friends.

It had started out harmlessly, with the king and his lackeys making Luffy swim endlessly in the small, murky pond for hours and hours on end to amuse them. That had been child's play in comparison to the long journeys Luffy was used to making, and he never minded the exercise.

No, it wasn't until the king had used his powers that Luffy had realised what a fine mess he'd really gotten himself tangled up in. Barking back at the feather guy probably hadn't been a very wise decision, but it had been _so_ worth the few scrapes to hear the king's indignant whining.

After Marco and Thatch's brief visit -Luffy missed them already- the king had been stopping by less and less, and Law had started to come see him on a daily basis instead. It was a welcome change to Luffy's otherwise _incredibly busy_ schedule of building sandcastles and talking to himself, even if Law's company was something the merman wasn't certain he deserved to begin with.

How could he, when he couldn't even remember _that_ night in full? Luffy couldn't even look the human noble straight in the eye and honestly swear to Law that he'd not harmed Cora in the least.

He had tried to remember, of course. It was all Luffy had done for the past month, but the memories evaded his reach and that fateful night remained shrouded in mystery. He could recall the party and seeing Torao in the crowd, and then the guards giving him a light snack, but after that... _Nothing_.

Torao had asked him about that night once or twice, but much to his chagrin, Luffy hadn't been able to give him an answer. He didn't know what to believe, and he didn't want lie to his only friend when he had no idea about what had actually happened.

Luffy just wished that the trial would be sooner so he would get to go home. He missed Ace, and Marco, and Pops, and Zoro, and Thatch, and so many others that Luffy couldn't count them all. His brother must be going crazy with Luffy gone, and he hoped that Ace wasn't blaming himself. Nothing that had happened was his fault.

Maybe it was selfish of him to want to see his most precious people when the only man Law had ever called family was fighting for his life, but he didn't care. Law had assured that he wasn't blaming Luffy any longer, so it was okay. Or at least Luffy really hoped it was, but the jarring feelings of doubt and suspicion were eating away at his resolve.

Law seemed to be convinced now that Luffy hadn't played a hand in his adoptive father's misfortune, and he'd apparently found evidence and was already working to uncover the truth with efficiency that might have put even Izo to shame. Or well, maybe not.

The two of them were sitting at the pond's shoreline, watching the rippling waves break shore. It was nearly nightfall and the sun was almost set. The castle was slowly quieting down.

Luffy had missed the memo, and he all but devoured the leftovers Law had brought with him with ravenous joy and a lot of noise. It appeared to be a Dressrosan policy to feed the prisoners as little as possible -no matter what the treaties said- and the scraps Luffy had been fed for the past two months were nowhere near enough to silence the glutton's perpetually growling stomach. And Luffy was _starving_.

Law's suggestions about saving some for later had fallen on deaf ears, and the chicken strips he'd managed to steal were long gone before he had even finished his sentence. Once he was done, Luffy picked up the box and traced the decorative carvings on its lid with his finger.

"Look, Torao it's just like a pirate flag. Don't you think?"

Law took a closer look at the box he'd brought. He'd just taken in out of the kitchen, from a pile of cups and cases that were about to be thrown out and wouldn't be missed, but now that he spared it a second glance, he could see a sail with skull and bones carved to the box. "Looks like it. What about it?"

"I want to keep it, it's cool," Luffy declared.

"Sure, Luffy-ya," Law said, thinking that no one would miss the stupid thing. "Why would you want it?"

"Because it's a pirate lunchbox, obviously! Why would you even need to ask that, Torao?"

"It looks ridiculous," Law muttered under his breath. "What do you know about pirates, anyway?"

"Nothing," Luffy said flatly, and his chiming snickers dragged the frown straight out of Law's face. "All I know is that Makino told me stories about them. And I know that they're free."

"They're just a fairy tale, that's what they are," Law said tersely, eager to change the topic. Talking about freedom with a prisoner was quite awkward, innocent or not, and the wistfulness in Luffy's voice made things increasingly uncomfortable.

"You're boring, Torao. I think they're real," Luffy chirped. Law shook his head.

It was one of those days when he had nothing to do, no papers to sign and no negotiations to take part in. He couldn't do much of snooping, either, not when the guards kept tabs on him at all times, but he was hoping to hear from Monet soon. He'd asked her to test the waters for him, to keep an ear out for any rumours about Cora's attempted murder, but so far she'd come up with nothing.

So, with nothing to do, Law had spent most of the day with Luffy. He kept telling himself that he was just passing time at the pond to keep up appearances, but that was only half the truth.

Luffy hummed tunelessly next to Law, twisting and turning the lunchbox in his hands. Law still didn't get why he'd wanted to keep the box when it would just wind up rotting at the bottom of the pond. It wasn't like Luffy had any other place to store his treasures.

"What's it like? Swimming when you have fins and a tail?" he heard himself ask, voicing his thoughts.

"I don't know, it's hard to put in words. It's fun, like flying but in the water," Luffy said, gazing out at the small lake longingly. "I feel at ease when I'm swimming. Like I'm undefeatable."

"That must be nice," Law said, nodding slowly. "I would like to experience it someday."

"Yeah, it is. But you still don't have a tail, Torao. You have legs!" Luffy laughed. "Besides, it's not the same here. The water's dark and weird to swim in. The ocean is cleaner, so you can actually see something."

"It's because of all the pollution, I'd say," Law surmised indifferently. "I've never thought of it that way."

"Well it's annoying, this pul-pol… Pullotion thing, whatever," Luffy grumbled. "I've never even heard that word before, sounds weird."

"No, I don't suppose you would have," Law agreed. "It's a human thing, unfortunately."

Luffy shrugged, finding the small bug that was walking on his tail much more interesting. Law looked at the pond and its serene surface contemplatively. It really was in bad shape. Maybe he should have some of the servants clean it one day.

The merman splashed the water with his tail fin and grinned mischievously, leaving Law no time to react before splatters of seawater hit his face and soaked his clothes. The intensity of the wave that Luffy's tail had created took his furry hat with it like a leaf in the wind, and Law's eyes widened as he watched his hat float to the pond's edge, near the far wall.

Luffy giggled cheerily next to him, but Law was not nearly as pleased with the sudden cold shower. He brushed the most of the dirt off himself and glared at the merman, effectively shutting Luffy up.

"Why did you do that?" Law barked. "That's really childish."

Luffy tilted his head, puzzled. "But I do that to Acey all the time?" he whined. "You looked like you needed some cheering up."

"Yeah well I'm not a merman, thank you very much," Law groaned. "Humans aren't waterproof, Luffy-ya. Go get my hat back now."

"Don't wanna," Luffy said without missing a beat.

Law took a deep breath to calm himself. Water was Luffy's element, after all; something that came naturally for him, so it was probably inconveniently easy to forget that humans didn't much appreciate a little water fight.

"Why not? You threw it so you should get it back too."

"Don't wanna."

He could still be a real brat sometimes.

"I swear I will make a nice fish soup out of you someday," Law muttered. Too tired to argue with Luffy, he got up and sauntered over to where he thought his precious hat had been carried to. He found it hanging off a branch near the far wall, above the barred passageway that was the only thing standing between Luffy and the vast sea.

Except, that now that Law was standing next to it, he realised that the bars weren't there anymore. The route to the ocean was wide open and clear of obstacles. Had Luffy not noticed?

Law joined Luffy on the strand of sand, choosing to sit on a rock this time as to not sully his clothes. It was a cold night, and he really didn't want to catch the flu.

Luffy grinned apologetically. "I didn't mean to get your hat all dirty, Torao. Sorry."

"Yeah, it's fine. Just don't make a habit out of it," Law said absentmindedly, trying to clean the caked mud from the fur. "Say, Luffy-ya. Someone has taken the bars off that grate there. You could swim away anytime you want."

Luffy didn't face Law's eyes, glaring at his tail instead. He was obviously not loving the turn the conversation had taken. "I know, but I can't."

"Why not? Why hang back and wait for the trial?"

"I just can't, okay? I've tried, but that bird guy did something and I can't."

Law scoffed. "I find that hard to believe."

Luffy curled out his tail so that the end of his tail rested against the rock Law was sitting on. "He put something under the scales there, some type of rope. It's pissing me off."

Law leaned in, curious, and brushed his fingers against the conjunction between Luffy's tail and the fin. It was slim, and the scales were smaller than the ones closer to Luffy's hips, and Law could feel abrasions and lumps against his fingers here and there.

Law lifted a torn scale and felt the flesh below with his finger. Luffy grimaced, flinching away from the sting. "Torao, what are you doing?"

"Just checking something," Law replied calmly. The scrapes on Luffy's tail had never been this low and never this close to the tail fin, and yet Law could see scabs where something had rubbed the flesh raw, almost like…

Law's brow furrowed when he felt the slightest of strings wrapped around Luffy's tail, strong but impossible to see to anyone but the person who'd casted the spell. Doflamingo.

"Interesting. And you can't swim away because of this?"

"Nope," Luffy said without delay. "Believe me, I've tried, but it's like a leash."

Law said nothing, nodding for Luffy to continue.

"I tried escaping the first week I was here, almost right away. That thing was still barred back then, and the bird guy caught me when I was trying to chew through them," Luffy explained. Law quirked an eyebrow, incredulous.

"Hey, it could have worked!"

"I highly doubt it, Luffy-ya, but do go on."

"Well, after that the bird guy got an idea, and he wrapped something around my tail. Then he made me swim a lot and had his friends take the bars off the exit. I thought they were letting me go, but they just wanted to watch me try to swim out," Luffy sighed and looked at his tail with a pout. "I can't even get close enough to touch the exit. I can't get out."

"Yes, that sounds exactly like something Doflamingo would do," Law mused and let go of Luffy's tail. "I'm sorry Luffy-ya, I can't take the string off without tearing out some scales. I'd cut the tether, but can't seem to find a one."

"That's okay, I've tried to find one too," Luffy chirped, seemingly not bothered by his shackles in the least. "It's a mystery!"

"No, it's magic."

"That's what I said, a mystery!"

Law rolled his eyes. "Sure."

They watched as the sky grew dark and the stars climbed up on the sky, obeying an unspoken agreement not to mention the string anymore. Luffy recounted all the stories Makino had told him about pirates, and Law listened with half an ear despite his genuine curiosity.

Finding the string wrapped around Luffy's tail had been unexpected, and Law was almost disappointed that Luffy hadn't mentioned it on his own. He'd come to expect an information flood instead of a drought whenever he spoke with the kid, and even if Luffy preferred talking about happier things and tended to avoid the heavier stuff. But Law couldn't exactly blame the kid for wanting to joke around while he awaited trial for attempted murder.

Law didn't even notice it when Luffy fell asleep against the rock, but when he got up to leave, the merman clutched the brim of his cloak. Law leaned down to unclasp Luffy's fingers from his robe.

"Ace... Sabo..." he heard Luffy slur, talking in his sleep, "I wan' the biggest fish, 'kay?"

Law rolled his eyes and smiled softly. Deciding that retrieving his robe was a lost cause -Luffy's hold was inhumanly tight even when he was asleep- Law took it off and covered Luffy with it.

"Sleep tight, Luffy-ya."

Luffy mumbled something more and squirmed to wrap the robe around himself tighter. Law figured that he'd never get the makeshift blanket back from the merman, and he sauntered back to his own quarters without it.

His own eyelids were drooping, and the world seemed to blur around the edges to Law. He hadn't gotten much sleep for the past three days, and it was beginning to take its toll. But every time he closed his eyes, he saw… He'd already had enough nightmares for one lifetime.

Law had been struggling to come to terms with the idea that Luffy wasn't guilty. The proof of his innocence was hard to dismiss, but Luffy was an easy scapegoat, which was exactly why most of Dressrosa wanted the merman dead. But ignoring the missing scale meant giving the real attacker a chance to get off the hook, and Law couldn't have that.

Monet had reported hearing rumours doubting Luffy's culpability, claiming that the merman had no motive to speak of. The small chatters about doubt were stifled by the king and his court, of course, but they were still there. And Law couldn't help but agree. Logically speaking, the only possible person responsible for Cora's injuries was Doflamingo, but Law couldn't think of any reason the king would have to hurt his adoptive father.

And he didn't want to think of any, either. Cora was like a brother to Doflamingo and vice versa, and the king had been in Law's life for far too long for him to just shove all the blame on his shoulders without any proof.

Law reached his rooms and banished the servants waiting to help him to bed. He wanted to be alone and gather his wits.

He sat on the windowsill and rested his head against the wall behind him. Everything seemed so fucked up lately, and so out of his control; it was like putting together a puzzle with half the pieces missing, and Law didn't know if he would like the picture even if he found the rest of the pieces.

There was a knock on his door, snapping Law out of his thoughts. He was about to tell the visitor to go away, but the door had already opened. Monet stepped inside, checking over her shoulder to make sure no one had seen her before she closed the door.

"What brings you here, Monet-ya?" Law asked, hoping for some news. "I haven't seen you for a while."

Monet frowned and looked away. "Sorry. Been busy. But I'm not back empty handed."

Law waited for her to join him on the windowsill, and Monet took out a small den den mushi from her pocket. "It's a security snail. You wouldn't believe what I had to do to get one, but I think it should cast some light on what happened the night Cora was attacked."

Law's eyes widened and he looked at Monet in astonishment and surprise. "You're kidding me, right? I thought there were none in the king's bedchambers?"

"That's what I thought, too. But I heard rumours of a concealed one, and well long story short this should be a copy of that snail. The original one was destroyed."

"Why, I wonder?" Law mused. "Play it."

Monet nodded and pressed the button on top of the snail's shell. The recorder flickered to life slowly, showing nothing but darkness at first until the image sharpened as the den den focused in its task. The picture blurred before it got clearer, revealing a dark room lit with only candles. There was a large bookcase dominating one wall and an aquarium on its other side, and Law could see a feathered cloak hanging from a coat rack. It was the king's room.

What captured Law's attention though was not the décor, however, but the blurry figures of a merman and two humans; Cora, Doflamingo and Luffy. They were almost out of the den den's range, and the picture was too frayed and unfocused to make out anything distinctive.

Doflamingo was standing in front of Cora, glaring down at Luffy. The teen was yelling something, but the recorder carried no sound. Cora said something, angered but unafraid, and shoved the king aside to get to the merman. Suddenly, invisible strings knocked Cora to his knees.

Monet's breath hitched, but a quiet _no_ left her lips when Doflamingo moved to loom over his second hand man. Luffy launched at the king, trying to push him off balance with his tail, but Doflamingo merely stepped aside with a sneer on his lips. He stepped on Luffy's tail fin, making the teen grimace, and aimed a kick to Luffy's temple. Luffy didn't get up.

Cora turned first to Luffy and then to Doflamingo, spreading his arms and shouting furiously. Law took in a deep breath, expecting the worst. His heartbeat thrummed in his ears loud enough to drown Monet's shocked gasp as Cora stilled and fell on his back. Something dark soaked his shirt and chest, and Law looked away, clenching his eyes shut. But the image was etched on the backs of his eyelids, and Law couldn't see past the blood.

"Turn it off," Law whispered. Monet pressed the button on the snail's head again, and the projection vanished.

There was no denying it anymore. The king had attacked Cora and put the blame on an innocent.

"So," Law breathed out, "We're up against the king. Fantastic."

"I really thought that you were wrong," Monet admitted. "But I'm sure Young Master had a good reason, Law."

Law glared at the snail hatefully, still struggling to get his emotions in check. "What reason could there possibly be to excuse this? Cora-san's in a _coma._ "

"He's the king." Was Monet's only reply. "He makes the laws."

"Yes, he said the same thing not so long ago," Law muttered, gritting his teeth.

Monet didn't reply for a while, but her brow creased in worry. "What do you want to do?"

"I'll think of something. In the meantime, though, we need to find a way to get Luffy-ya out of the castle and back to the sea," Law said sombrely. "I need to know why Doflamingo would do this."

"Well, we're pretty much screwed then, no matter what we do," Monet said. "You'd best come up with a plan soon, Law. That fish is going to be dead soon if this keeps up."

"I'll think of something," Law snapped bitterly.

"Fair enough. And believe me when I say that I want to know why our king would do something like this, too." Monet assured as she jumped down from the sill. "I need to head back or they'll notice I'm gone. But you should tell the public, Law, get some sympathy on your side."

"The people have been too blinded by their anger to listen to logic," Law countered, completely overlooking the fact that he'd been just like the rest of them less than two months ago. "But we can't simply pull the rug under Doflamingo, either. We don't need to start a civil war when we're already at the brink of another."

Monet nodded. "You're making waves, Law. For your sake, I hope you can swim as well as that merman you're risking your life for," she said, her hand on the door handle. "Good luck."

Law didn't notice that she'd taken the snail with her until the door had already closed and Monet was long gone.

* * *

Ace surfaced near the edge of Dressrosa, shadowing his eyes with his hand.

The castle had been quiet when he'd left, making for an easy escape. Even the few guards he'd passed had pretended not to notice him, and Ace suspected that his father had had his hand in that.

Besides, stealing meat from the kitchen - a _smallish_ snack for the road - had been considerably easier when Thatch wasn't guarding the place like a bloodhound. Ace smiled, thinking about the cook's expression when he would find his pantry all but empty. Thatch would be outraged and blame all the wrong people until he would hear about Ace leaving at night and then…

Thatch would tell Marco.

Ace felt guilty about leaving his mate behind without a goodbye, but he doubted it would come as a surprise to Marco. He had snuck out after Marco had gone to sleep, taking advantage of the empty halls and the night's darkness. Just like the other had known he would. Marco's knowing silence had been clue enough when they'd gone to bed, not to mention the way the fishman had smirked into the good night's kiss Ace had given him. Marco just knew him too well.

He was probably more annoyed by the fact that Ace hadn't asked him to join the trip, but there was no need. Ace doubted he would have to do anything more exciting than shake a few hands and maybe talk some sense into Luffy's thick skull if it came down to it. Why his idiot little brother hadn't already escaped or proven his innocence was beyond Ace, but he wouldn't be leaving without Luffy.

The tall buildings that formed Dressrosa's silhouette were only barely visible in the horizon, kilometres away, and Ace realised with a weary sigh that it would take him hours to reach the castle and his brother.

Ace closed his eyes, relishing the sun's rays that offered a welcome warmth after the cold ocean. It must have been well past dawn, meaning that Ace had been swimming for the better part of six hours. But Ace had no time to rest when Luffy was waiting for him in some fishbowl.

Ace grinned at the open sky and swum towards the human settlement tirelessly, dipping below the surface at times to keep the sun from burning his tanned skin. The sun had almost climbed to its peak by the time Ace saw the first fishing boats, and the merman was forced to drop underwater to avoid detection.

To think that only a few weeks ago -more like two months and seventeen days, but who was counting- he'd been swimming with Luffy by his side, hunting and joking without a care in the world. If only he had chosen a different place to sleep, or not gotten so careless with the fight...

"I'm almost there, Lu," Ace promised, pushing himself to swim faster. "Almost there."


	8. Kind Kings Are a Myth

Living in the same castle as the man who had tried to kill Cora was a task, to put it mildly. Law avoided Doflamingo whenever he possibly could, to a point where it was probably suspicious, but he couldn't afford to let it slip that he'd seen the recording. That he _knew_.

Not only would being discovered mean death for Law, and by extension Monet, it would surely mean Luffy's demise. It could mean war, and it would surely leave Cora's future full of uncertainties.

Law was still yet to come to terms with the idea -the fact- that Doflamingo had been the one to attack Cora. It was absurd to even _think_ that the king could have harmed his second in command and his closest friend, especially when Law couldn't think of any reason Doflamingo could have to do such a thing. But the proof was as irrefutable as the sky was blue and the water was wet.

Law had spent most of his time devising and discarding plans to get Luffy free, but it seemed impossible. The only tangible thing between the merman and the sea were the strings around his tail, but they were tight wound and nigh unbreakable. Cutting Luffy's bounds seemed like an unsurmountable obstacle, but one that Law was determined to tackle. He needed the distraction.

The trial, however, continued to loom over the human and the merman. It would take place in a week, no more and no less, and with Doflamingo acting as the judge and the jury it wasn't really difficult to guess the outcome. Luffy would be found guilty by the person who'd really committed the crime, and then the king would get to play the executioner, too.

How positively joyous.

Luffy was swimming leisurely around the pond, seemingly undeterred by Law's gloom. The human had joined him for a late breakfast, and Luffy had cheered at the sight of the leftover sandwiches Law had brought with him, although both knew that they wouldn't do much to sate Luffy's hunger. Anything was better than nothing; the punishments riddling Luffy's tail were only beginning to heal and every scrap of food he could get went to good use.

"Torao! You need to swim too, you promised!" Luffy called out, waving his hand.

Law scoffed. "I did not promise anything, Luffy-ya, I merely stated that I would like to swim in the ocean someday. Don't twist my words."

"Boring! C'mon, join me," Luffy whined, but Law remained impassive. He watched Luffy pout and grumble something -probably an insult- before the merman dived below surface in a flash of red.

 _'He'll not be coming up anytime soon,'_ Law thought in amusement and lowered his gaze back to the papers he'd brought with him; Cora's medical records.

The more he looked at them, the more Law wanted to just travel back in time and slap the crap out of his past self. If one looked at the notes _he had written himself_ not even a month ago objectively, it was blatantly clear that Cora's wounds were too clean to have been made with something as serrated as Luffy's tail. None of his ribs were broken even though the power behind the merman's strong muscles would most likely have cracked several of them.

In hindsight, it was bizarre that he had been fooled at all, but Law had been blind to the obvious. It looked more like something had _sliced_ through Cora's flesh, and Law had a pretty good idea on what that something was.

Law groaned and stretched his arms; he had been sitting in place for a while now, and the hard rock that was not exactly comfortable. But it was still the only seat that wasn't drenched and wet, so it would have to do.

Law packed the papers neatly in his pocket and kicked his shoes off. He walked to the pond's edge and dipped his bare feet in water, digging his toes into the sand. Law closed his eyes and tilted his head back. The day was warm, even on Dressrosa's standards, and the gentle south wind didn't do much to alleviate the heat.

Without warning, two hands grabbed Law's ankles, and pulled him off balance. Law landed on his behind in the soggy sand, grunting out a surprised curse. "What the hell Luffy-ya!"

Luffy popped his head above the surface, laughing uncontrollably at Law's muddy clothes and dumbfounded frown. Sometimes Law wondered if he'd ever given much thought to the very likely possibility that he would be executed within a week.

"Shishishi, what are you doing in the water, Torao?" Luffy snickered. "I thought you didn't want to swim."

"Real mature, Luffy-ya." Law drew a deep breath to calm himself. It wasn't the first time he'd gotten an unexpected cold shower. "Aren't you like a noble or something too? How unbecoming of you."

"I'm not a noble. Ace is, or he's going to be, I think. It's not that straightforward," Luffy chirped. "His mate is the old guy's son, that's all. But then again he calls us his sons, too..."

Law simply nodded and got up, brushing himself off. "Sounds plausible."

It didn't; it sounded ridiculous and farfetched, so much so that Law guessed that the teen might have misunderstood the core concept of his brother's relationship status, but Law was covered in mud and getting cold. He didn't particularly care.

Shrugging the matter off, Law aimed a hard look at Luffy. "Don't knock me over again."

Luffy tipped his straw hat back so he could look at Law from the odd angle, what with the human standing and the merman in the water. He grinned widely. "I won't make a promise I can't keep."

Law didn't pout at that. He didn't. He was mature and a high ranking healer, so he definitely wasn't even physically capable of forming a pout. He might have scowled a bit and scoffed at Luffy, but he didn't pout. "Just don't pull my feet from under me, is that really too much to ask?"

"You're so crabby, Torao," Luffy moped and crossed his arms, making a point to glower at Law the best he could. It was a chore, considering how hard he was also trying to keep from laughing. "If you were a merman you'd be a rock."

"That makes absolutely no sense."

"It does too! Rocks are boring and wet and covered in sand, just like you!" Luffy snickered, but his smile wilted away in a matter of seconds as footsteps echoed in the courtyard.

Luffy backed away from the beach, lips curling in something akin to a snarl. Law had never seen him look so fierce and so _lethal_ before, acting like the predator he was. It wasn't something he wanted to see ever again.

Law turned just in time to see the king walk up to them with his escorts and servants close on his heels, swarming like flies around a turd. He was leering at the two, licking his lips as he sized the human from head to toe and, well, _tail_.

Law casted a quick glance to Luffy, but the merman's expression revealed nothing of his thoughts. Law hoped that he'd at least have the common sense to keep his mouth shut, although he knew that it to be a bit of a tall order.

"Fufufu, enjoying ourselves, are we?" Doflamingo sneered, his lips curving into a cruel smirk. "I've been missing you lately, _Lawsie_ , really, it's like you've been avoiding me. Why's that?"

Despite of his growing unease and trepidation, Law managed to keep his voice level and confident. He had a horrible feeling that they'd been found out. "My apologies. I've been terribly busy as of late, Cora-san's treatment takes time and effort. Perhaps if I wasn't assigned to play fish sitter I might have the time to come see you as well."

"Well, seems like we're at a standstill then, doesn't it?" Doflamingo purred, his smile warm with mirth but words dripping with acidic ire. "What to do, what to do… _Ah!_ You want to be relieved of your duties as the brat's keeper, right? I can help you with that."

Law brushed some sand off his sleeve in an attempt to buy some time to think. He couldn't afford to let their guests witness anything but acts of animosity between Luffy and himself; fraternizing with men wanted for attacks against the crown could so easily be interpreted as treason.

If Doflamingo had in fact figured out that Law was aware of his culpability, he would be twice as eager to get rid of all loose ends. Witnesses, for one.

Law chose his words with care and caution. "No, I'm quite happy with your orders. We can't risk breaking Newgate's terms and letting this pitiful snail swim free. I am, in any case, honoured by your concern."

"Hey!" Luffy interjected angrily. "Are you insulting me!?"

"Quiet, fish," the king commanded and clicked his tongue disapprovingly. Luffy settled on glaring at Doflamingo and muttering laughable insults under his breath. "Duly noted, but thank the gods for loopholes, kiddo. I'll simply appoint a new guard for the brat, that's all."

"I'm impressed you would go so far just to shield my feelings," Law said sardonically. "But I would prefer to finish what I started. Even if that means looking after this clownfish. I can't-"

Law cut himself off. _'I can't leave Cora behind.'_

Doflamingo clicked his tongue. "I'm afraid that I can't take a no for an answer, Law. I need you to run an errand for me."

"An errand?" Law repeated disbelievingly.

"That's what I said, is it not?" the king chuckled and held out his hand. A servant -the same redheaded girl from the king's birthday ceremony, Law realised absently- put a small velvet satchel in his palm. Luffy waved at her and the girl smiled back.

Doflamingo opened the satchel, looking inside and smirking approvingly. "Yes, I would like you to go to see Caesar and deliver these samples to him. You'll be pleased to hear that they have been graciously donated to us by your scaly friend here."

Law doubted that Luffy had been exactly willing to let himself be cut up for Caesar's research.

He scrambled to find a logical reason to dispute Doflamingo's decision with, but there was none; no one could counter a king's order but the king himself, and if he'd put up a fight, it would only serve to cast more suspicion on himself and Luffy.

He bit back a curse and sighed. "As you wish, my _King_."

Law was pretty pleased with his ability to make the word king sound like an insult, too.

"That was a quick change of heart, Lawsie. What changed your mind?" Doflamingo said, words laced with poisoned honey.

"What can I say?" Law replied. "You caught me. I can't stand to be around this shrimp any longer, that's all. I would rather be anywhere else than here, entertaining at this ugly fish. I'd rather see him dead _._ "

Luffy watched Law with surprise flashing in his eyes for a fleeting moment before he pulled the straw hat lower on his head, hiding all emotion from curious gazes. If he was hurt by Law's harsh words, he hid it well.

Law felt like an ass for speaking so menacingly about his friend, but it was a necessary evil. Thankfully the moment's cruelty had paid off; Doflamingo seemed pleased with what he had heard, and gave a simple nod. "Sounds like you really are in need of a break, my boy. Catch!"

Law hurried to catch the satchel, and felt the large vials inside with idle curiosity. They clinked together like chiming bells, and the melodic sound was far too cheery to match the tense mood.

"You leave at nightfall," Doflamingo said in a tone that left no room for protest, and turned to leave with a sly grin splitting his features. Law scowled his way through a polite bow and bid him farewell.

He was almost going to slump back onto the sand and consider his options when he heard Luffy draw a titanic breath. Law groaned inwardly _. 'Don't do anything stupid, Luffy-ya, please._ '

"What do you mean Torao has to go! That's moronic, you can't go back on your word, not when you promised Pops that you'd honour the treaty thing or whatever!" Luffy yelled at the king furiously, holding his fist in the air as if issuing a challenge. Maybe he was.

Doflamingo looked back over his shoulder, only the faintest of smirks still keeping up the facade of nonchalance. "Are you going to miss your buddy, _fish?_ Don't worry. We'll keep you company."

Luffy growled irritably and opened his mouth for what would have undoubtedly been another onslaught of insults, but Law silenced him with a glare. Luffy glared daggers at the king until he was long out of sight.

Once he was sure that Doflamingo and his party were out of earshot, Luffy huffed, face wiped to a meticulous blank but eyes fierce and defiant. "This sucks. I don't want you to go, Torao. Can I come with you?"

Law deflated and let out a weary sigh. "I'm sorry, Luffy-ya, I'll be back in two days at most, sooner if the winds are beneficial to us."

"Yeah, I know you'll be back," Luffy said, but the words were phrased more like a question than a statement. "I'll miss you, though. It's going to be boring again."

Law was flustered by Luffy's sincerity, but he let the remark slide without acknowledging it. He drew a resigned breath; mentally calculating the absolute fastest route to Punk Hazard, and the chances of being caught should he send someone else in his place. The odds didn't seem to be in his favour.

"Listen. You need to be careful while I'm gone, don't do anything without thinking it through," Law said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "If Monet-ya was able to find out about the tape's existence, I'm sure that the king's tapped into the grapevine as well. He might very well know that I have seen the snail and that we know of his heinosity."

"Don't worry about me, Torao!" Luffy said with a wide grin that was fast followed by a laugh. He didn't quite manage to convince Law of his nonchalance, however. "I'm not going to do anything stupid. Can you bring me back some more meat?"

Law snorted. "You have your priorities in check I see. I guess I can ask Caesar-ya to spare something."

He got up to leave, frowning at the caked mud covering the helm of his robe, and turned to look at the merman for one more time before he'd go prepare for the journey. He wanted to make sure the teen was in good shape before he would leave Luffy to fend for himself, even if Law knew that the merman wasn't exactly defenceless. Far from it.

"Wait." Luffy cupped his chin and hummed contemplatively. "While you're gone, could you send a message to my brother? Tell him I'm okay and I'll be home soon."

Law nodded. "I can do that, sure. Play nice, kid."

"I'm not a kid, Torao," Luffy whined, pursing his lips in annoyance.

Law shook his head exasperatedly, and Luffy waved at the earl as he walked away from the pond. Law watched the merman vanish underwater, his red tail sending waves careening every which way. He smirked, albeit the act was left void of glee. He could only hope that Monet would be able to look after Luffy while he was gone.

Law had toyed with the idea of helping the merman escape before Doflamingo really would make sushi out of their prisoner, but he'd deemed it too treacherous to both himself and Cora. Helping Luffy escape would surely mean exile at best and death at worst. Either way, it would mean leaving Cora behind, and that just wasn't an option.

Law could only hope that Luffy would not give the king any reason to take a more hands on approach to the prisoner's detainment.

The vials felt heavy in his pocket as Law walked away from the main wing and the pond and the servants that accompanied him seemed invisible, but then again Law wasn't paying much attention to his surroundings, either. There was one more stop Law needed to make.

Cora had regained some colour on his cheeks, Law noted when he opened the drapes that kept the midday sun's rays at bay. The light made the blond's already ghostly complexion look even more translucent and fragile, casting light on every droplet of sweat that covered his skin. It made Law jittery, almost chipper to realise that Cora seemed to be breathing easier, and to see the bandages come off dry and clean of pus when he replaced them with new ones.

Of course Law adamantly ignored all the warning whispers in the back of his mind that kept reminding him that a quick recovery every so often also meant a fast and ugly rebound. He knew that many patients were treated to a last bout of energy in their time of dying, and Cora might as well be fading away without the healer ever knowing it.

Not knowing whether Cora would still be there when he would be back was infuriating, but Law didn't really have a choice. He needed to act the role of good pawn and please the king should he ever wish to see Luffy back with his own kind, and should he wish to survive the ordeal himself. It was a test from Doflamingo's part, and one Law was determined not to fail.

Law leaned heavily against his adoptive father's bedside, his head in his hands and mind abuzz with conflicting emotions and warring theories. He tried to distract himself by counting the bedridden man's every inhale and exhale with obsessive care; telling himself that it was something that had to be done instead of just a trivial task. He tried to disregard the fact that he'd counted Cora's breath rate three times already that day alone.

He kept hoping, pleading to deities he couldn't name and didn't believe in that they would be merciful and bring Cora back to him.

 _In, out, in, out…_

Law clenched his eyes shut, bile at the back of his throat. "It's a fucking fine mess we're in, Cora-san. And as usual you're just sleeping the days away."

 _In, out, in, out…_

"Wake up, please," Law whispered. "I need you to tell me what to do. I'm so _alone_."

But reality was far from a fairy tale where the slumbering princess woke up at the opportune moment, just when the times seemed darkest and tomorrow the bleakest. Cora didn't open his eyes and smile brightly like he used to, and Law was left in an oppressive silence.

It would be a long two days.


	9. Riptide

_**A/N: Parr= A young salmon at a stage between fry and smolt when they feed mostly on invertebrates but can't tolerate saltwater.**_

* * *

In retrospective, it had been foolish to think that he could ever travel from Dressrosa to Punk Hazard and back in two days' time, and Law should have known that.

It had been wishful thinking at best, and yet something that he'd wanted to believe possible. Perhaps it could have been if all had gone according to plan, but not only had the clown been insufferable as ever _-"No, Caesar-ya, I don't care whether or not you manage to liquefy a merman's scale, no matter how comical you might find it"_ \- but for some reason, Law had been expected to partake in the experiments, too.

Meaning that the earl was returning home a whole four days later than he'd originally planned to, and that vexed Law beyond belief.

He was on edge, figuratively and literally, as he sat on the railing of the small ship Caesar had ever so generously offered to him for his homebound voyage. It was only one more way for the narcissistic scientist to stroke his own ego and assert his non-existent authority over Law, but his one-sided pissing contest did nothing but amuse the earl.

In any case, Law was past the point of caring about politeness and poise. Maybe that scaly moron was rubbing off on him?

Law smiled at the thought, his mind wandering back to the castle; to Cora and to Luffy. He had heard nothing from Monet for the past six days, and the silence was beginning to make Law exponentially more anxious and agitated. It wasn't that he thought it impossible that Doflamingo had discovered their clandestine efforts and harmed Luffy and Monet as a result of it, but Law didn't dare think too much of the likelihood of that prospect.

Luffy was a fickle and an impatient creature, and Law didn't find it too hard to believe that he might try to do something stupid, like steal food or purposefully antagonize a stray guard for no better reason than to distract himself from the boredom of isolation. He just hoped that the teen had a bit more common sense than that.

He had left almost a week ago, meaning that Luffy's trial would take place in less than twenty-four hours.

Law had no doubts about the reasons behind his little trip to the not-so-friendly neighbourhood clown. It would have been overly confident and moronic of him, after all, to blindly assume that the king was yet to connect the dots and realise that Law had seen the snail. The idea that he would return to the castle only to be executed wasn't too heart-warming, but Cora was inside those ghostly walls, as was Luffy.

Law didn't need even the fingers of one hand to count every friend he'd ever had. Some had never been his friends to begin with, and some had left the mortal coil years ago. Law could still see the young girl with speckles of white on her cheeks and dark rings under her eyes sometimes when he couldn't sleep _;_ too drained to speak and too lively to stop smiling, refusing to give up.

Some had persisted, however, and for better or worse Luffy was one of them. As hard as it had been to accept Luffy's role in the turmoil of events that had ultimately led to Cora's downfall, Law no longer felt no grudge toward the kid, if the ire about the merman's incessant habit of knocking the human off his feet was excluded. Luffy was genuine, seemingly incapable of a lie, and Law didn't want to lose something so tangible and real after knowing naught but false and fake all his life.

Cora's injuries needed treating, too. A part of the healer hoped that his adoptive father would be awake by now. But the pessimist -realist, actually- in him kept insisting that it was far more likely that something had gone terribly wrong, and what would greet Law back in the castle was a catastrophe instead of a grumpy Cora whining about the nuisances of bedrest.

The sky over Dressrosa was dark and heavy with storm clouds that were just waiting to implode and wreak havoc on the coast. Law hoped that whatever deities held reign over the throes of weather would at least have the decency to wait for his small ship to reach the shore. He fingered the hilt of his sword -a nodachi called Kikoku- in a vain attempt to clear his thoughts of needless worry and regain his focus.

It wasn't exactly gracious for a man of Law's stature to carry a blade when there were guards to do that for him, but Law felt better with the deadly weapon within arm's reach. It wouldn't do well to re-enter Doflamingo's hold with clouded judgement. Or unprotected, for that matter.

The clouds shrouded the tallest towers of the castle in a veil of sharp, sable shadows on the royal lands as they docked, and frigid droplets hit Law's skin as he stepped off the boat, a lantern in hand and the nodachi resting languidly against his shoulder.

Monet waited for him in the port with a small entourage of servants. She waved at the men to get the earl's belongings, and Law smirked as they struggled to carry his rather sizeable trunk filled with research notes, clothes and meat, as promised. He hoped that Luffy would slow down for long enough to appreciate the finer flavours of the smoked sea king meat Law had managed to sneak out of Caesar's kitchens. It was just wondrous how much bribing a few guards could do.

"You sure were gone for a long time, Law," Monet greeted, handing the healer a thick rain cloak. "Welcome back."

Law pulled the hood over his head and sighed deeply. "Trust me, I'm happy to be back, Monet-ya. My week has been far from pleasant. How are things here?"

"Quite well. The trial is going to be just as much of a puppet show as one might expect, but I have devised a plan that might allow us to break the merman free."

Law quirked a curious eyebrow. "Is that so? Do tell."

"Now now, try to keep yourself in check, _sir_ ," Monet snickered secretively. "Let's get to a more secluded location first, away from unwanted ears. On second thought, it might be better to just show you what I have in mind."

"Fair enough. Lead the way then," Law agreed. "How's Cora-san?"

Monet crossed her arms and frowned apologetically. "He's alive. I'm sorry I don't know more, I haven't been to see him much lately," she said curtly, bowing her head. "A lot has happened while you were gone."

Law only nodded at that, his tongue tied by a rising sense of apprehension that felt like dozens of pinpricks on his skin. They stepped inside the castle's main doors, and Law followed Monet through dark corridors lit by candlelight and nothing more.

The gloom of the past few months seemed to have dissipated during the time Law had spent in Punk Hazard, replaced by menacing anticipation. The healer scrunched his nose at the people staring at him and Monet curiously.

She didn't lead him to the pond as Law had expected her to, walking past the courtyards and into the castle's main wing instead. More and more people walked by them as they made their way deeper into the network of corridors, and Law felt like each of them was sizing him up and whispering something inaudible behind his back.

He suppressed a shudder; it was like they all knew something he didn't.

Monet's earlier hesitation about Cora's health came back to the forefront of Law's mind, and the healer scowled. Was there something he didn't know? Was Cora worse off than his friend had let on?

Was Monet leading him to Cora's deathbed?

Law cleared his throat, swallowing down a lump of cautious dread that had chained his voice. "Are you sure we are going to the right direction, Monet-ya?"

"Of course," she replied, pausing to look at Law over her shoulder. "Be patient, we're almost there."

Law tried to shrug off the uncomfortable feeling that things had long since spiralled out of his control, but he tightened his hold on Kikoku regardless. "Just where are you taking me, anyway?"

Monet casted wary glances to the shadows, as if to make sure no one was listening. "Like I said, I'm taking you to a way out. I found something that I think might just help you and the, er, _fish_."

"And what is that, exactly?" the earl murmured, but Monet only smiled softly. Law almost walked right into her when she came to an abrupt halt in front of a large but nondescript door.

"We're here," Monet said. She took a moment to squeeze Law's arm comfortingly, but the gesture did nothing to ease the consternation in Law's chest or to banish the overlapping questions that still crowded his thoughts. Law was growing more convinced by the second that his friend was leading him to hear Cora's dying words. Or even worse; an urn. Law gulped, grabbing the handle with a white-knuckled grip, and opened the door.

On the bright side, he didn't see his adoptive father in a cot or a coffin. But the alternative wasn't much better.

The king was waiting for them. He sat on a stone table, surrounded by some of his most trusted underlings. They, unlike Doflamingo, wore grim expressions, and Law understood in an instant what he had been lured into. The security snail waiting on the desk and the shackles waving to and fro from Doflamingo's finger were indication enough that it sure as hell wasn't a tea party. But at least it wasn't a wake, either.

Law spun on his heels to look at Monet, eyes blown wide with surprise. She grimaced, avoiding Law's scrutiny with the pretence of brushing a strand of hair off her face, and walked past the dumbfounded healer. "Sorry, Law."

Law could do nothing but gape at her as she joined the king, barely holding onto his mask of indifference.

Doflamingo appeared completely unbothered by Law's silent shock, and his grin only widened to maniacal proportions. "Now that we're all here, I would _love_ to get us started. You sure took your sweet time dragging your ass back home, Lawsie."

"Caesar-ya can be a demanding host," Law said tersely. "Mind telling me what the fuck is going on in here?"

"Surprised?" Doflamingo asked with mock incredulity. "You shouldn't be. This is a trial."

"But Luffy-ya's hearing isn't until tomorrow..." Law said haltingly, hoping to be proven wrong, but the chances of that were looking bleaker and bleaker by the second.

Doflamingo chuckled and tossed the cuffs he'd still been twirling in his hands to one of the guards nearby. "Right you are, Law, but this isn't a hearing for your beloved parr. This is a trial for crimes of high treason and the attempted murder of a noble."

Law's blood boiled and froze in his veins all the same. "You're jesting."

"No, he's not. This is a trial for _your_ crimes, Law," Monet interjected. She gave Law a look of wounded hurt and disappointment. "I can't believe I bought into your lies."

"My-" Law fought to keep hold of his composure, but his voice came out bitter and scornful despite his efforts. "My _what?_ "

"Your crimes, offenses, misconducts, _sins_ … You name it," Doflamingo leered. "Or in other words, this is a trial for your failed assassination attempt against the man who once called you his son, and for your schemes against the crown."

Law didn't resist when two men -guards he'd seen every day since adolescence, who he knew by name, whose _families_ he knew by name- grabbed a hold of his shoulders and held him in place none too gently. He merely grimaced at the rough treatment, too shell shocked to do much else.

They were pinning Cora's near death experience on _him?_ But...

"Why, Monet-ya?"

He knew the answer before asking, but couldn't help himself. She was his oldest friend, and someone he'd thought of as a confidant. But Law had known about her devotion to Doflamingo, and it shouldn't have come as a surprise that the king had been able to sway her. It was still like a slap to the face nonetheless.

Monet avoided Law's eyes. "The better question is why would I aid a traitor? I'm right where I belong, next to my King."

"You knew all along, didn't you? You knew about what he did?" Law snarled, knowing that he was more or less digging his grave with each word. He didn't care. He aimed a piercing glare full of questions and hurt at Monet. "Why show me the tape? To taunt me?"

"Ah, that was a miscalculation on our dear Harpy's part, I'm afraid. But she's come to her senses now," Doflamingo chuckled. "Besides, who would believe a traitor like you, Law? You're the one who has been plotting against the crown and embezzling funds from our already empty chest. You're the one who's been spreading lies and false accusations, and who's been spending a suspicious amount of time with the same person who tried to kill my advisor."

Law's mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. Doflamingo let out a victorious laugh. "Your silly little questions and ploys to get me cornered have served to do nothing but add to the evidence against you. It's all rather sad, if you think about it; to get so far only to drown in shallow waters."

"You can't expect me to just go quietly?" Law growled. "To let you chain me up in some cell and wait for a trial that never comes?"

Doflamingo made a tutting noise at that. He nodded to the guards holding the earl still, who in turn took Kikoku from Law's hands and handed it to Monet. Before he got a chance to react, Law was slammed to the ground with enough force to make him grunt out. But it was the foot that connected with his side that ultimately stole his breath away.

Another kick.

Another.

He thought they'd never end. He thought he'd known these men.

Law was left gasping for air, glaring at the king with murderous intent written all over his features, woven into his very soul.

Doflamingo sighed deeply. "If only you'd let it go, Lawsie. I don't want to do this, but I cannot have you running around with mischief on your mind when my plans are still in such a vulnerable phase. I'm sure you understand."

"Fuck you," Law managed, spitting blood out of his mouth. "I always knew you were a rotten bastard, but _this?_ What about Cora, then? Why let him live? Why hurt him in the first place?"

"That's a good question. Quite like you, he couldn't keep his nose out of other people's business. It's a shame that he's been wheezing on for this long, but it really can't be helped. I would hate to cause a scene." Doflamingo grinned widely.

"I, the King of Dressrosa, hereby strip Trafalgar Law of his rank and sentence him to life in prison. Any objections?"

It wasn't a question as much as it was a threat, and Law wasn't surprised when nothing but the sound of handcuffs clicking to place around his wrists broke the deafening silence. He narrowed his eyes, memorizing the names of every single man and woman who were witnessing his disgrace. However, it seemed that the king had extended the invitation to Law's very own personal judgment day to no more than his inner circle of fellow lowlifes.

The guards started dragging Law away, but the earl resisted, glaring at Monet and Doflamingo.

"I'll be back, for Cora," he promised. "You can't hope to keep this under wraps for too long, no matter how hard you try to bury the truth."

"We'll see about that, won't we? Bye, Lawsie!" Doflamingo waved cheerfully, a menacingly smug smirk splitting his face.

The guards brought him into the dungeons without a single syllable of so long, nice knowing you, sorry about framing you - _nothing._ And Law couldn't claim that it came as a surprise. Or, more accurately, the shock that came with a wordless goodbye was positively drowned with the sting of betrayal.

He was taken to a cell and left there. Law sat in the corner, mindful of his aching side, and rested his head against the rock wall behind him. He closed his eyes even though there was next to no light in the small cell to begin with, and drew in long, shuddering gasps of air.

He hadn't seen this coming.

He should have.

He should have been smarter, more prepared and armed with better foresight. But no, he had been a fool, and been played for one too. It had been unrealistic to assume that Doflamingo would ever buy into the facade of ignorance Law had been struggling to keep up, and irresponsible to imagine that they had all the time in the world before the king made his move. He should have acted sooner instead of relying on the waning hope that his ploys and plots would actually be allowed to grow into fruition.

But none of his fears and worst expectations had ever as much as brushed the possibility of Monet being their undoing.

" _Shit!_ " Law cursed, voice hoarse and strained. He punched the ground with his cuffed hands in a fit of rage and disappointment, but that did nothing to dissipate the tempest roaring between his ears. Instead, Law just winced when the sudden act jarred his injured side, and assessed the damage done to his rib cage with a weary sigh.

Bruised? Definitely. Cracked, even? Possibly.

Breathing was a bitch of a task at the moment, but nothing Law hadn't dealt with before, although it had been nearly fourteen years since he had last felt the sting of a bruised sternum. If he'd been able to handle it as a mere teenager, it was surely nothing to an adult. The pain wasn't even mentionable. It wasn't. _'Get over it, Law.'_

Easier said than done, but the healer bit the bullet in any case; doing his best to ignore the pain when he did what he could to fix himself with his magic, and used what little ointments and gauze he still had in his pockets.

The cell was dark, cold and damp. Your usual dungeon, in other words. It was probably designed by some twat who'd never heard of basic human decency or, say, _originality_ , Law thought wryly and let out a small laugh of sheer incredulity.

How had he wound up in a jail cell, of all places? How was he-

Something shifted and stirred in the corner of Law's vision, derailing the now former noble's train of thought. He thought he heard a sound, too. _A wince_? Law tensed, hoping that it was just a mouse or a stray cat looking for leftover salmon, or maybe an oversized cockroach. Anything else but a deranged fellow convict. He had enough bruises as it was, thank you very much.

As soon as his eyes adjusted to the dimness well enough, Law swept the room with his gaze, scouring each centimetre with scrutiny. He'd been left in the far corner, where he could easily see the exit and the hallway that connected to the cells. How kind.

He squinted, but there really was nothing in sight that could have made the small sound. And yet, Law could've _sworn_ that he'd seen something. _There!_ Something!

There wasn't a rat in sight, and no deranged prisoners, either, but Law did find the leftover salmon.

"Luffy-ya?" he rasped. "Is that you?"

The source of the disturbance - _the leftover salmon_ \- groaned sleepily and stretched its arms. He was still shrouded in shadows so Law couldn't make out any details, but the form of the merman's curling tail wasn't exactly hard to recognize.

"Huh? Oh, Torao, you're here too. How'd that happen?" Luffy mumbled, yawning.

Law rolled his eyes, struggling to keep his relief from leaking into his voice. He didn't do a very good job. "You weren't seriously sleeping in a goddamn cell? How idiotic can you get, Luffy-ya?"

"Dunno," Luffy admitted with a shrug. "What are you doing here?"

"The King is onto us, it would seem," Law replied sarcastically. He let out a hacking cough and frowned at the pang of dull ache that simple motion brought forth.

"Are you okay?" Luffy asked, concern colouring his voice.

"This is nothing. Don't worry about it," Law lied.

"You didn't answer my question," the merman grumbled, and tried to scoot over to Law using only his hands -the cell had no water to swim in, after all- before Law got a word in edgewise.

Then, two things happened at once.

Luffy's arms fell from underneath him, and he landed on his face with a thud.

Which meant that he was suddenly close enough for Law to see him clearly.

A soft curse fell from the healer's lips at the sight, and Law fought the urge to reach out to the teen in order to help him up and take a better look at the bruises and cuts that riddled his back. He glared at the cuffs around his wrists like they'd personally offended him instead of just being inanimate objects. What was the point of healing hands if they were bound from taking action?

Law couldn't make out much, but it seemed like Luffy's time with Doflamingo hadn't exactly been smooth sailing. The merman's back was covered in long lashes, and there were bruises all but littered on his skin. A couple of his fins were twisted and torn, and the shirt he wore was in tatters. In short, Luffy looked terrible.

Law suppressed a sigh with a snicker, trying and failing to seem unconcerned. "You really shouldn't worry about my scrapes, Luffy-ya. You look like you got filleted."

Luffy laughed dryly. "That's funny, Torao. But this isn't really as bad as it looks. I'm fine."

"Right…" Law muttered. "Care to tell me why you're bleeding then?"

"Hmm, no, not really. Nothing to tell," Luffy said without missing a beat, his nonchalant tone only adding to Law's exasperation. "I got into a fight, that's all. That bird guy is a real jerk."

It didn't look that way, or at least the fight had been terribly one sided at that, but Law had enough on his to do list without adding _pry information out of a stubborn merman_ to the long line. He set the matter aside for later, however. Law wanted to know what the hell had taken place while he was in Punk Hazard.

Besides, there was something nearly comical about being locked away with the person he'd once thought had tried to kill Cora. It was definitely absurd, like being trapped on the wrong side of the fishbowl or the beginnings of a bad joke.

"So," Law started, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Come here often?"

Luffy giggled and shook his head. "Nah, not really. You?"

"My first time, actually."

"Mine too," Luffy said, far too cheerily for someone who looked like they'd gone through a meat grinder. "I've never been caught before, other than that one time with Ace and that super good fish. But I got really far with it before he…"

"The point, Luffy-ya. You're missing it."

"Oh, I guess that's true. It was making me hungry just thinking about that fish, anyway," the merman chirped. He was quiet for a passing moment, and spoke more sombrely next. "We're pretty fucked, eh?"

"Yeah, I'd say so," Law agreed, nodding.

"Great."

"Super."

"Ready to break out?" Luffy asked, grinning challengingly.

Law smirked back. "I was waiting for you to say that, shrimp."

* * *

It was a testament to Ace's never ending patience that he listened to the fishmonger ramble on and on about different mermen he'd encountered in the past for _at least_ two whole minutes before he threatened to bash the man's head in if he didn't get to the point anytime soon. Truly, it was.

He had been swimming in circles for days, checking every hint, whisper and rumour that could have possibly led to Luffy, but so far he'd come up empty handed. Ace knew that his little brother was most likely still being detained inside the castle walls, where Marco and Thatch had last seen him, but he couldn't just waltz in. And it wasn't just because he lacked the feet for waltzing, although that too _could_ have been a small hindrance if he'd ever chosen that course of action.

No, the problem at hand was that Ace had heard whispers, and none of them had boded well for Luffy. He was running out of time, and Ace's never ending patience was growing thin.

The servant he had last questioned - interrogated was such an ugly word - had told Ace that his brother was held in a small puddle in the castle's inner courtyard, but Ace didn't want to believe that. Luffy would go crazy, and that in turn would drive everyone else crazy. Humans were insane enough as it was, if one asked Ace's opinion on the matter.

He'd tried to get a message to the king, but he'd been told that no one who wasn't an actual member of his court was allowed near the mage. He had tried to simply swim inside, too, but there just wasn't enough water for Ace to move in freely, and he couldn't think of a way to hitch a ride. Besides, leaving the safety of his natural habitat was a huge risk; losing the advantage water afforded him would leave Ace vulnerable to the human's whims, and he was supposed to be the one doing the rescuing here.

He wasn't worried, though. He wasn't.

Okay, maybe a bit, but above all else, Ace was _frustrated_.

So when a man approached him one day with a message, Ace welcomed him with open arms and an only slightly murderous glare.

"The King has heard of your struggles and requests you join him for a meal. Will you accept?" the man said, handing Ace a signed invitation. The merman eyed the parchment curiously.

"Will my brother be joining us?" he asked. Because that was all that mattered; seeing Luffy and making sure he was still being treated fairly while he waited for his trial. If he wasn't Ace wouldn't be too happy. And then he would make sure that all the humans responsible for his brother's detainment would be _very_ unhappy, as well.

But the man smiled confidently and nodded. "Of course, we can make arrangements for that."

Ace only gave the man a look that screamed a wordless threat of _you better_ , and listened to his instructions that were supposed to lead the merman to a tunnel he would be able to use for a smoother entry. He offered the man a reserved grin and his thanks before diving below surface.

It was time to meet the king.

He found the underwater passageway easily enough; a small tunnel that ended somewhere inside the enormous palace. Ace swam to it warily, unsure whether or not it would be safer to just call it a day and beat the information of Luffy's whereabouts from some sentinel the next morning.

But in the end, there was no question about it. Luffy was inside those walls, probably yapping about portion sizes to some human, and Ace hadn't seen his younger brother in months. He was going in.

The tunnel led the copper tailed merman to a clearing of sorts, a small pond inside a courtyard. Ace's face split into a wide grin - _hadn't Marco mentioned the Dressrosan nobles were keeping Luffy in a pond?_ \- and he searched for the younger with his gaze. But the bright shimmer of red scales and the vibrant snicker were nowhere to be found, and Ace was treated to a lovely sense of dejá vu as he once again swam back and forth, eyes darting from corner to corner.

He had to make sure Luffy was there.

He might have been at the dinner already. Maybe. But Ace had no way to know that for sure, and the hair at the back of his neck stood up with trepidation. If he'd been _frustrated_ before, he was way past that point now.

"Welcome!" A far too pleasant voice carried out. Ace turned to look at the king, who was waiting for the merman in all his feathery glory, surrounded by a swarm of other humans Ace held no interest for. "You must be that yet another guest from down under I keep hearing so much about?"

Ace tensed under the man's stare, his tail swivelling in the water as if gearing for action. Somehow, he got the inkling that he'd swam into quicksand, grating and jarring with no escape.

The king was here, and yet his little brother wasn't. What was going on?

Ace wore a hollow smile nevertheless, and waved at the men ashore with feigned leisure. "Yo! I'm Ace. Where's Luffy?"

The king licked his lips. "He couldn't make it, I'm afraid. But fret not, we'll take you to him. He's waiting for you."

Ace didn't buy a word that left that pink clad moron's mouth, and he backed away slowly. He couldn't let them lure him out of the water, because if he did that, he would be like a… well, like a fish on dry land. And Ace wasn't too keen on letting that happen.

"I ask again, where's my brother?" he snarled instead, all pretence of niceties discarded and forgotten.

"I'm afraid he's a bit tied up at the moment," the king purred and revealed his teeth with a wide, leering smile. "But please, do stay for a while."

The blond lifted his hand wordlessly, drawing invisible circles in the air with his fingers, and suddenly Ace was hit with a memory of Izo explaining to him _why_ the king of Dressrosa was so feared and respected. His magic.

Ace cursed under his breath and dashed back to the grate, but a string was already wrapping around his tail, restraining him.

"Let me go! What are you doing?" he growled, trashing in the web of strings like a helpless fly as the king pulled him into his net. _'Damnit, I can't get free.'_

"Luffy! Where are you?!"

* * *

 _ **A/N: Thanks for reading! Please leave a review, and thank you so much for all the reviews, faves and follows this story already has.  
**_


	10. For The Halibut

"Just a bit more, c'mon Torao. It's not that hard."

"You're one to talk. Are yours even halfway open yet?"

"Shishishi, nope!"

"Why do I even bother…?" Law muttered and resumed his task of unscrewing a bolt from where it was embedded on the sewer grate. "At least you have your hands free, Luffy-ya, this should be a walk in the park for you!"

"Don't you mean a swim in the park?" Luffy snickered. "And these are too tight, I'll break them if I pull too hard."

"We _are_ trying to break the drain cover, you idiot," Law deadpanned. "If you think you can break it, be my guest."

"Oh, okay. I thought you wanted to keep it in one piece. It's a cool thingy."

"It's just a drain," Law sighed and shook his head exasperatedly. He supposed that merfolk didn't need sewers, and because of that Luffy's amazement at all things human was understandable in a way, but there had to be a limit. But even if there was, Law had no doubt that Luffy would continue trampling on it casually as ever, like they were playing a fun game instead of trying to escape with their lives _._ It was a wonder no one had strangled the kid before he ever reached his teens.

But, true to his word, Luffy slid his tail fin in between the bars and _twisted_ , muscles straining, and the lid popped off with a resounding clang in no time. The merman smiled proudly. "There!"

"Nice work," Law admitted, smiling wearily. He hoped no one had heard the loud noise, but it was inevitable, really; one of the downsides of being a prisoner was that you were never truly alone. Time was of the essence.

Luffy seemed to come to the same conclusion, and he gestured for Law to go first without a word. They heard someone yelling in the hallway, far away for now but quickly closing in on the two escapees. Law shared a look with Luffy, urging for the other to keep his mouth shut, but there was a serious glimmer in the merman's brown eyes that wasn't easy to dismiss. Luffy held an air of responsibility and reassurance that hadn't been present just seconds before. Or maybe it had been there the whole time, and it had just taken Law this long to notice it.

Law found himself stepping inside the small drainage pipe regardless.

He landed knee deep in a mix of murky water, sludge and god knows what. Law frowned at the mess, hating the feeling of filth on his skin, but he had no time to dwell on the discomfort. The clamouring was getting closer, and Law could already make out his own shouted name alongside the word fish. The guards would be on them in no time, Law realised urgently, and mouthed a command to Luffy.

 _'Get the fuck down here already.'_

He raised his cuffed hands to help Luffy down. The merman grinned approvingly, bright as ever and completely unbothered by the commotion. It would probably have been comical if the guards weren't _right on their tail!_

"Hurry up, Luffy-ya!" Law yelled, tugging on the merman's arm. Luffy nodded, getting the point, and started to drag himself down. He was only halfway down when the door to the cell slammed open and a lieu of burly men with grim scowls and hate in their eyes burst in. They were officially out of time and soon to be royally fucked.

"Torao!" Luffy gasped, taken by surprise as a pair of large arms caught hold of his fins and _pulled._

Law grunted a curse and grabbed Luffy's hand, trying to get the merman free. Luffy grimaced in pain as he was forced to twist his lower body to get the guards off him, but they wouldn't budge. Law tugged hard on the teen's arm, making one of the guards tearing Luffy away from him lose his balance and his grip, but he was soon replaced by a new pair of arms and a new round of angry words.

More men and women piled into the small cell, shouting and raising one hell of a racket, and Law noted with a flash of panic that they could just as well follow them down into the pipelines, too. If only he could...

An idea took root in Law's shambled thoughts, and the healer smirked. It was unorthodox for his abilities, sure, but not unimaginable. "Luffy-ya," he hissed imploringly. "Can you shake those buffoons off your tail or not?"

Luffy wasn't listening. "Let go of me, you jerks!" he yelled, lashing out with his tail fin violently and finally managing to pull himself loose. He fell down unceremoniously, sending splashes of water every which way in his wake.

"Finally! Okay let's go!" Luffy said, already backing away from the drain, eager to escape. But Law only took some steps back, creating some distance between himself and the exit. The guards were crowding the small entryway to the sewers, trying to get inside all at once, and the confusion gave Law a few seconds to gather his thoughts.

He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. His magic was intended to be used for fixing people from the inside out, mending what was broken. But doing the opposite couldn't be that hard, right?

"Room," he whispered on a whim and opened his amber eyes to see the pipe walls collapse behind them, effectively entrapping the guards. He ignored their pained cries and turned his back on the cell.

"Yeah, let's get out of here," Law said, trying to appear disinterested by the whole scene even though he was anything but. That had been so-

"That was so _cool_ , Torao!" Luffy exclaimed with stars of sheer awe in his eyes.

"Sure, if you say so," Law murmured, summoning some boredom into his voice to hide how pleased he was by both the praise and the havoc he'd wreaked. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't quite hide the small smile that curled the corners of his mouth. It only took a bit of concentration and some righteous fury, but soon enough the shackles around Law's wrists clattered to the ground, too; broken beyond recognition by an invisible force.

Luffy couldn't contain his excitement at all, babbling on and on about their valiant escape -or a complete strike of luck, as Law preferred to think of it- as they made their way further into the network of pipes that connected to the ocean. At least that was the theory Law was working off.

They had to lead to the ocean, he deducted, because what was the point of an enclosed sewer system with no exit point for waste disposal?

At the same time, Law was plagued with worry for Cora, but that was something he couldn't afford to wallow in. He couldn't let his thoughts wander when their pursuers could be waiting behind any corner. It was unlikely, but not out of the question, and Law would be damned if he didn't cover all his bases. Besides, with Luffy talking a mile a minute and clearly focusing on everything but what they were trying to do, one of them needed to keep their eyes on the prize.

"Torao," Luffy said, stretching the word into a small melody. _'A symphony for whiners, composed by a whiny brat who needs attention all the damn time,'_ Law thought and rolled his eyes. But he couldn't just ignore someone as clueless as Luffy, either. How he'd survived on his own was still a mystery to Law, and he had an inkling that without constant supervision Luffy's knack for finding trouble would introduce itself in a way that might easily give Law an aneurysm.

"What?" he said, more snappily than he'd meant to, but Luffy was undeterred.

"I think I feel a current, Torao. Should we follow it?"

"Yeah, I would think so," Law surmised. He hadn't noticed any change, but then again, he wasn't a merman. "Where to?"

"Just follow me!" Luffy ordered cheerily and swum to what was at first glance a random direction. Law trailed after him hesitantly, unsure of the kid's navigational skills, but not questioning him. The look on Luffy's face was certain, wiped clean of all doubt and uncertainty. And sure enough, once Law had walked beside the merman for a few minutes, he, too could sense a slight stream in the otherwise stale sludge.

"So, what do we do now? Did you send a message to Ace?" Luffy asked, out of the blue.

"To be frank, I have no idea," Law had to admit reluctantly. "I didn't exactly plan for this. But I did send that message to your brother, if that's of any consolation."

"Ah, good. He knows I'm okay then," Luffy smiled widely. "I was worried he might do something stupid! I can't wait to see Ace again, I wonder how long it's been..."

Law failed to mention that the message had wound up sounding more like a cry for help than reassurance. He wouldn't necessarily have used the word _okay_ to describe the merman's current state, either, but he let it slide. "I would say it's been a bit over two months, assuming that you were taken a few weeks before you came here. That's not too long."

"I guess," Luffy shrugged. "But I haven't seen Ace in two months then, or Zoro or Makino or _anyone._ "

"What, is my company not enough for you, Luffy-ya?" Law teased, trying to lighten the mood.

Luffy snickered at that, albeit the sound was but a watered down version of his usual confident laugh; diluted to a mere ghost of the original. "Of course it is, you're my friend Torao. I just miss them, that's all."

"Alright."

"I think the current's getting stronger here," Luffy mentioned when they came to a crossroad.

Law could feel the water flow accelerate, too, and he nodded. "This way, then. I can't wait to get out of this stink."

"Yeah," Luffy agreed, and they walked -swam- downstream with newfound vigour, the chance of finally getting out of the dim dungeons lifting their spirits. The current grew in strength and size until its swirls and splatters were visible even to Law's eye. He could almost make out light at the end of the tunnel when Luffy stopped abruptly, eyes widening in realization.

"Oh crap crap crap crap crap!" he muttered, "Torao, we can't go this way after all, it's too strong, we're going to be squashed! Turn back!"

It didn't feel that strong for Law until he tried to spin on his heels and head back. The tide pushed him back toward the exit, and Law cursed under his breath when a piece of lumber floating on the surge stole his feet from underneath him. He fell on his behind in the water. It was up to his chin even when he was sitting down, and by now the current was too strong for Law to even entertain the thought of getting back up again.

"I'm stuck!" he called out to Luffy, who was already a bit ways further back to the safety of the stiller water. Luffy looked back, mouth opening for a reply before he was silenced by a wave that hid him from Law's eyes for seconds that seemed to stretch on into nothingness.

Law was shivering from the cold, scrambling for a footing, a handhold, a sharp edge, _anything._

And then Luffy was back by his side, eyes ablaze with determination. "Hold on!"

He took a grip of Law's collar and tugged the human along as he parted the water with his tail. All Law could see -whenever he managed to get his head above surface for a gasp of air, that was- was a glimmer of red and silver, and a fast approaching way out.

"Luffy-ya, no, it's too close!" Law gurgled.

"I can't pull you back, either! I could barely swim back myself!" Luffy yelled back over the roaring tides, and Law had only a second or two to catch his breath at the pipe's mouth as Luffy braced them against the walls with his tail. The storm he'd felt coming earlier was in full swing now, and Law had to blink the water out of his eyes before he could see through the downpour.

They were looking at a ten metre drop, at the very least. Law gulped and turned to Luffy; the merman's brows were furrowed, and it was clearly straining his strength just to keep them still. He was glaring at the waterfall with hard eyes, as if the tides were sentient and fully aware of the conundrum they had presented to the two escapees.

"Torao. We need to jump, I can't hold on for much longer!" Luffy panted, straining to keep them in place on the ledge. Law had no time to answer before the merman grabbed the collar of his coat and pulled Law into a dive.

Luffy hit the water first, his streamlined body cutting through the surface like a bullet. The healer fell far less graciously, but the tides Luffy had broken cushioned his fall and he somehow managed to hold onto what little air he'd had the time to gasp in.

The water was _everywhere_ ; in his eyes and in his ears and threatening to get in his mouth and lungs too. It was like the sea was toying with him, shoving and pushing and moulding Law into different shapes as if he was a ragdoll in a four year old's hold.

His mind grew foggy and his lungs burned for air, but Law was like a rock in the water. He couldn't move, utterly at Mother Nature's mercy.

And then there was a pair of strong arms around his waist, pulling him somewhere. Law didn't know where. He couldn't focus. He hoped he was being taken toward the surface - toward air - but he couldn't tell for sure. Blots and sprays of different colours stained his vision even behind closed eyes, and Law fought to keep his mouth closed with the last hints of his consciousness.

Law fainted seconds before they broke surface, instinctively gasping for air where there was naught but murky water.

* * *

"-rao! Torao!"

Law groaned, coughing bouts of saltwater from his lungs. "Huh?"

"Torao! You're alive!" Luffy exclaimed. Law gave no reply, clenching his eyes shut tighter than ever.

The world was spinning and his lungs were burning. Blood rushed in his ears, blurring out the sounds of wind and waves, and for a moment Law thought it was all a dream. His head was killing him, but Luffy's voice kept ringing in his ears, loud and piercing, rendering all hopes of returning to sandman's land null and void.

"Huh?" Law voiced, still struggling to find a balance between the dark spots trying to rob him of his consciousness and the unforgivingly cold splatters of seawater that kept him somewhat anchored to the present. _Somewhat_. He focused on Luffy's voice instead, giving up on equilibrium and achieving any resemblance of coherence.

Luffy was holding Law's head above the waterline, clearly struggling to keep the human topside with the air he so needed, but the storm made the task rather difficult.

Luffy poked Law's cheek, catching the human's focus. " _Are_ you alive?"

"I'm fine," Law mumbled irritably, raising his voice so that Luffy could hear him over the howling wind.

"Shishishi, good. For a second I really thought you died!" Luffy chirped.

"Do you even know what a dead person looks like? How would you be able to tell?" Law scoffed.

"Hey! I'm not stupid, of course I can tell. Not my fault that you looked all-"

A large wave washed over the two, temporarily pulling Law underwater and effectively cutting off Luffy's words. Law would have panicked if it weren't for the merman's arms pulling him back up without delay, and Law gasped for sweet lungfuls of air the second he resurfaced.

The spindrift and the rain hit his face with enough force to make Law duck his head, and Luffy seemed none the wiser of Law's little dip.

"-zombie! And then I guess you woke up. How're you feeling?"

"What happened?" Law slurred, answering the question with one of his own.

"We jumped from that cave thingy into the sea. It's great, I can finally breathe! The sea is so nice, right, Torao?" Luffy babbled, exuding exuberance.

Law wasn't inclined to agree -the salt burned in his lungs and found its way into cuts and bruises Law hadn't even realised existed- and he deemed silence to be golden. He looked around, seeing Dressrosa as no more than a dot in the horizon, and cursed like a sailor. Of course the merman hadn't thought about finding land.

Hell, Luffy had probably had enough of solid ground for years to come, but Law was a human. He wouldn't survive out at the open sea, in a storm no less. He was already shivering from the freezing cold.

"What the fuck are we still doing out in the open like this, Luffy-ya?" Law snapped harshly.

"I was just trying to get away from that place?" Luffy asked, sounding a bit like a kicked puppy.

Law sighed. He'd never signed up for any of this. "I need to get to dry land, sooner rather than later," he said, hating the way his teeth clattered together as he spoke.

"Oh, right. Well, there was that boat we passed a while ago, will that do?" Luffy mused, cupping his chin without thinking -it seemed to be a recurring problem- and accidentally let Law slip off his hold, giving him another cold bath.

However, he seemed to notice the way Law's shivering grew more and more violent by the minute, and Luffy looked hesitant.

"Do you think you could swim to it on your own?" he asked breathlessly, and Law forced his eyes to stay open. If he squinted and _really_ focused, he could just barely make out a ship far away at the vast ocean. It was at least a kilometre away, if not more, and Law knew that he would never make it to the ship by himself. He could hardly even feel his toes anymore, and the muscles in his legs were already cramping from the long swim.

He shook his head, forlorn and feeling a bit guilty for making Luffy do all the work even when the merman was clearly nearing his limits as well. He didn't want to be a burden.

Luffy sighed resignedly, shoving his straw hat off his face to float on the waves from the little string attached to it. Law saw him take a deep breath, centring and focusing himself, and then the merman set sail wordlessly, tired eyes firm in their resolve. And, like a salmon struggling to swim upstream, Luffy made his way to the small ship with Law in tow. Law was only half conscious by the time they reached it, chilled to his core, but he saw the ship through half lidded eyes.

It was painted white with a ram's head for a figurehead. A caravel, a small and poorly kept one at that, but Law couldn't have cared less about looks when he was so damn cold. Luffy pushed him aboard, and the human collapsed into a small pile of shivering limbs and goose bumps.

"It's fucking freezing," he carped, rubbing his hands together. He needed a fresh set of clothes, _yesterday._

"Torao?" Luffy called out from the water, sounding utterly exhausted and unsure.

Law frowned, his breaths coming out in short pants. "What?"

"You have to…" Luffy trailed off; probably diving underwater, Law supposed. "You have to help me up, too."

"Yeah, yeah, in a bit," Law barked back as he coerced his weary muscles to work and pushed himself up, ignoring the fact that all he wanted to do really was to sleep for approximately five hundred years. He found a fishing net on the deck and snorted at the irony of it all. He did have some fishing to do.

Hoisting the merman up took time and energy Law didn't have, even though Luffy helped pull himself up the best he could. Law felt boneless by the time the merman was panting on the deck next to him, and Luffy wasn't fairing much better; the long swim and his injures were taking their toll. He gasped for breath, chest heaving.

Filled with equal parts reluctance -he was so tired- and eagerness to get as far from the chill as possible, Law headed inside with a mission to find new clothes before he would really freeze to death. He shook and shivered, but after some initial struggles Law managed to stumble down a hatch and into a cabin he assumed served as the crew's quarters.

Law grabbed the first clothes he saw that were in relatively good shape; a black overcoat and pants that were far from the likes of which he'd worn as a noble. But hey, it wasn't like he was one anymore. The garb was refreshingly mundane and practical, but most of all Law _relished_ the warmth of dry clothes. He fought the urge to just fall on one of the hammocks, but Luffy hadn't looked so hot either and he was virtually stuck on the deck with no water, meaning that sleep would have to wait.

He found a blanket and a red cardigan lying discarded on the floor, and returned back on deck with hopes that they would be of some use to the merman. Law wrapped the coat tighter around himself, bracing himself for the inevitable cold, and trudged his way over to Luffy.

The teen was curled in on himself, shuddering and whining childishly. He was pale and sweating, and as far as Law could tell he was teetering on the edge of unconsciousness. He couldn't blame the kid. It had been a rough day for both of them.

"Luffy-ya? In need of another nap, I take it," Law voiced tentatively. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Luffy said through clenched teeth in a way that screamed the opposite. Law's brow furrowed.

"You're still a terrible liar," he murmured and threw the blanket over the merman. Luffy clinged onto the warmth like a lifeline, and Law had to coax him inside with promises of food.

Only problem was that mermen weren't exactly lightweight, and Law didn't have the strength to carry him when it was a task just to keep _himself_ upright. They found a compromise of the awkward and uncoordinated kind with Luffy dragging himself toward the galley with his arms and Law doing his best to support his tail. It wasn't elegant, and it most certainly wasn't comfortable for either of them, but it worked.

Luffy went straight for the fridge, still refusing to let go of the blanket Law had given him. The healer all but collapsed against the galley door, chest heaving with exertion and his skin was on pinpricks thanks to the lingering cold and the incessant ache in his side. He would really need to bandage himself up better, and Luffy probably needed some tending to as well, but the coat he'd found was big and soft and warm and he was so tired...

"Torao, can you cook human food?" Luffy asked from his new home right beside the fridge, unknowingly dragging Law back from the brink of oblivion. The human startled, blinking the sleep from his eyes.

"Wha? Uh, no, Luffy-ya, I'm not much of a chef," he mumbled.

His stomach growled loudly in protest, and Law idly realised that he hadn't gotten a bite to eat in almost twenty four hours. He was starving, and his mouth watered at the mere thought of a warm meal. And after Luffy had swum with him as dead weight for who knows how far, Law supposed he at least owed the kid a sandwich or a dozen. He certainly had the appetite. But Law could hardly even boil water, and Luffy could barely reach the stove, floor bound as he was, so they were more or less screwed food wise.

"That's a shame," Luffy said, mouth full of canned olives. "I'm _really_ hungry."

"Yeah, yeah, let me see what we have here," Law replied and got up on shaky legs, dragging himself to the fridge. "How are you holding up?"

"Fine," Luffy dodged. Law didn't believe him. He found the kid some dried meat in the back of a top cabinet, and while the merman was distracted by the intricacies of opening a can, Law scrounged the helm for medical supplies. He found some disinfectant with needle and thread and a couple bandage rolls, and brandished pliers out of a pair of scissors. They would have to do.

"A-ha!" Luffy cheered as the lid popped off from the dried goods can, pleased with himself. He stared at the preservatives avidly. "Thanks for the food!"

Law shook his head at the brat's antics -seriously, he'd been about to fall asleep not even fifteen minutes ago, and he got this excited about a can of meat?- and plopped down in front of the fridge, too. His ribs cried in protest at the jarring movement, and Law was pleasantly surprised to spot a large bottle of sake on the counter. He took a generous swig and wiped his mouth on his sleeve, sighing.

"At least we're out of the water now."

Luffy hummed in agreement, peering inside the now empty can with a pout. "It's empty… But I'm still hungry."

"We'll find more. I haven't gotten a single bite yet," Law said and rolled his eyes. He took another drink before setting out the medical supplies in front of him. "You're hurt, Luffy-ya. Don't move, please."

"I just need more food," Luffy whined, but did as he was told nonetheless.

Law cleaned his tail and his back carefully, making sure not to aggravate the cuts further. He scowled in distaste; one of the larger gashes marring Luffy's tail had opened during their hasty escape, and was now full of mud and soot.

Law was rather sure that the myriad of lacerations in the teen's back weren't from natural causes. The idea that Luffy had been hurt because of one fraud of a king and men blinded by anger -fellow Dressrosans- made Law almost queasy, no matter how lightly Luffy would play it all.

"This is going to sting," he warned, and poured about half of the sake bottle's contents on the merman's scales and skin. Luffy hissed in pain and grit his teeth together, but for once he didn't whine or protest.

Law bandaged the cuts with practiced proficiency, putting gauze on the ones that didn't need stitches and running sutures on ones that did. Once he was done, they both leaned their backs on the fridge door, side by side.

Luffy's stomach growled demandingly, and the merman curled into a tight knot of famine and frustration. "I need meat, Torao."

"Yeah, I'm hungry too," Law said, fingering the sake bottle's mouth absently. He was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. "You're a big boy, get over it."

The fridge was empty now thanks to one ravenous pit of a merman, and Law was only beginning to realise how hungry he was. He checked the last few cabinets and found some mouldy crackers under the sink. He frowned at the food. It was surely a downgrade from the feasts he'd been treated to back in the castle, but it was food and they were starving. He took a bite of the first cracker, trying to focus on anything but the ambiguous flavour.

"Torao… I'm hungry."

 _'Well, shit.'_

Law tried not to look at Luffy and the puppy eyes of doom he was sure the teen was wielding like a weapon. He tried. But in the end, Law just sighed and handed the kid half his crackers without even casting a glance at him. Luffy devoured his portion as soon as it was handed to him, while Law ate the last of the biscuits more slowly and washed the awful taste away with alcohol.

"Whose boat is this, anyway?" Luffy asked sleepily. Law shrugged.

"No idea, but I doubt it was just abandoned in the middle of nowhere. The anchor is down and there's fishing gear here and there. My guess is that the owner is out testing the nets with a dingy or something."

"So we're basically taking their food and clothes without permission?" Luffy mused, amusement glinting in his eyes.

Law didn't follow, but he'd learned to just roll with it when it came to the merman's babbling. "Yes?"

Luffy grinned. "So we're stealing?"

"By definition, yes. We're stealing. But we don't have much choice now, do we?" Law defended, surprised that Luffy would care about the morality of their actions to begin with. "What about it?"

Luffy snickered. "Shishishi, Torao, you do realise what this means?"

"That we're desperate and hungry? No, I don't."

"Well, we're out in the sea and we're stealing. _We're pirates!_ "

"I don't think it works like that," Law deadpanned. He did kind of like that idea, though. Pirate Captain Trafalgar Law had a nice ring to it. "Well, fine, but I'm the-"

"I'm the captain!" Luffy cut in, sparkles in his eyes.

Law shook his head and scoffed. "No way I'm under you in rank, that's just ridiculous. I'm a captain too."

Luffy did a double take at that, his mouth hanging agape as he tried to find the right counter argument. Because Law was _clearly_ the one being ridiculous. "That makes no sense, how can we have two captains and no crew?"

"Don't ask me," Law muttered. He offered Luffy a lopsided smile. "But we could always form an alliance between our crews?" he suggested.

"An alliance? Like a marriage?" Luffy asked, rubbing the back of his head in thought. "I don't want to be married, and no offense, but you'd make a terrible wife, Torao."

"Thanks, Luffy-ya…" Law said tonelessly. "What I meant, however, was an alliance. It means that we join forces against a common foe."

"So kind of like friendship, then?" Luffy wondered. Law resisted the urge to slap him.

"I suppose you could call it that…" he agreed, begrudging.

"Awesome!" Luffy decided and yawned loudly.

Law supposed they should be thankful to be still alive, but he didn't really have the energy to celebrate the fact. At least they were still breathing, free to recuperate for the inevitable coup d'état looming in the near future. Cora was still inside those walls, and Doflamingo no longer needed him to keep Law in reign. He was vulnerable, and Law's blood boiled just thinking about his adoptive father; trapped in that bed and the dregs of recovery, unable to defend himself. They needed to return.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Luffy wondered drowsily, almost asleep.

Law opened his mouth with a sardonic reply, because _of course_ they would set sail toward Dressrosa at dawn. They needed to make their move against the corrupt king, that much was obvious. Except that it wasn't. And Law wasn't one for false assumptions.

"Nothing, Luffy-ya," he dismissed, swallowing the words he'd intended to say, but the merman didn't seem to notice. "We'll think about it in the morning, okay?" He said with a note of finality.

Never one to catch social cues, Luffy flicked his tail lazily to and fro, letting out a small, tired laugh. "You really don't have a plan, do you?"

Law snorted. "Do you?"

"Nah, not really. But all the best plans are made on the go," Luffy mumbled. He closed his eyes, and Law assumed he fell asleep soon after. And, as Luffy's soft snores filled the air, Law was left wondering whether or not the teen would return to Dressrosa with him.

Luffy had a home and a family he hadn't seen in over two months, so it was only natural for the kid to be a bit homesick by now. Reluctantly, Law had to admit that Luffy wouldn't necessarily _want_ to go back with him when he'd only barely escaped with his life the first time. He might want to swim back home to see his brother and his friends. It was unreasonable to assume he would want to help Law, and the sudden realization hung over his head like the blade of a guillotine.

"What a fucking mess," Law murmured to no one in particular. He closed his eyes, hoping sleep wouldn't evade him for too long, and gradually relinquished himself to somnolence.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Okay, I'm sorry about the irregular updates, but I keep forgetting and I've been busy xS Please tell me your thoughts on the chapter and the story so far ^^**_


	11. Oh Brother

The early rising sun washed over the coast of Dressrosa by the time Law stirred in his slumber. Luffy's loud snoring pierced his ears, and the human rubbed the sleep from his eyes only to see that the kid had all but sprawled atop him during the night. Luffy's tail was cutting off the circulation to Law's legs with its weight, and a messy raven head rested against his shoulder.

The human shoved the merman off him with scowl, and Luffy landed on the plank floor harshly. For a moment, Law thought he would jump up and yell at him for the rude wake-up call, but Luffy only slumped to his side and continued snuffling in his sleep without a care in the world. Law shook his head fondly.

' _What an idiot.'_

He got up slowly, leaning on the cold fridge door for support. His entire body felt stiff and sore, and Law cursed himself for not finding a better sleeping spot. He'd _seen_ the hammocks below deck last night, and yet he'd slept on the cold floor with a goddamn fridge as his pillow and a merman as his blanket. Great.

Well, it wasn't like he'd had much of a choice. Law was slightly disoriented and groggy from the long hours of sleep, and some remnants of fatigue from the night before still lingered in the fibres of his being. He wasn't even entirely sure _when_ he'd fallen asleep; it was all a blur to Law, but it wasn't like it mattered, anyway.

Luffy didn't show any signs of returning the land of the awake until Law was almost done with cooking breakfast. The teen tornado had left next to nothing edible in the pantry or the fridge, so he'd had to improvise, but the eggs he'd found from some cabinet Luffy had overlooked and the box of cereal that had been spared for some reason seemed appetizing enough.

Law heard Luffy groan something that sounded like the word _meat,_ and he only had the time to grab himself a plateful of scrambled eggs before the predator devoured everything he'd laid out on the table.

"Mmmmh, good!" Luffy grinned, rubbing his stomach. "Thanks, Torao!"

Law rolled his eyes. "That was for us to _share,_ you dimwit. But you're welcome."

"Oh, sorry sorry! Thanks for the food," Luffy said and grinned, even though his cheeks were stuffed with cereal. It wasn't exactly a pretty sight, and Law had to look elsewhere to keep himself from laughing.

The glutton cleaned the table of every scrap of food in thirty seconds flat, and Luffy whined pitifully as he reached out for more just to find nothing.

"That was like a small snack Torao, I'm still starving," he said, aiming puppy eyes at the Law's plate.

Law made a point not to look at him; he still had some leftovers on his plate, and didn't want to lose it to the merman alongside the rest of the meal. He ate his food as fast as he could, Luffy's grumbling serving as the worst background music ever.

Luffy lifted himself on the table and rested on it bonelessly, blithering something about fish and feasts. Law sighed and took a seat next to him, observing the merman quietly while he finished his breakfast.

Luffy looked a lot better now that he'd had some sleep and some grub. There was colour on his skin and a glint in his eye that had been buried under an avalanche of exhaustion ever since Law had found him in that cell, and the bandages on his skin and scales were still dry and clean with no new signs of festering or inflammation.

Which was good, Law told himself. It was a good thing that Luffy's tail was healing and not rotting off or something as undesirable -who knew how mermen anatomy worked- but the idea of something _good_ happening after the shitstorm they had been through was so alien that it felt almost foreboding.

"Thanks," Law said, setting his now empty plate aside. "For, you know, not letting me drown yesterday."

There had to be a better way to word that, some way of making the words sound less like a train wreck, but Law couldn't think of one.

"What do ya mean?" Luffy asked, staring at him blankly as if Law had asked him something in a language he didn't understand. "I just swam here. It's no problem."

"Sure. Well, thanks anyway," Law repeated. "We should probably figure out a way to steer this thing back to Dressrosa."

"Yeah!" Luffy agreed cheerily, pumping his fist in the air. "I need to kick that king's ass for pissing me off, and for hurting your dad!"

" _Adoptive_ father," Law grumbled half-heartedly, but helped Luffy back on the bow nonetheless.

The air was crisp and the wind had a light bite to it. Wrapping his coat tighter around himself, Law thought absently that it must've been the dead of winter, so logically speaking it should have been a _lot_ colder. Thankfully the ever-present warm currents that enveloped his home kingdom kept the weather scorching at worst and mild at best all year round, so they didn't have to worry about turning into ice blocks. Not anymore, at least.

The sleeves of Luffy's red cardigan fluttered in the wind as the merman sat on his tail and grinned at the sky, basking in the warmth of the shining sun. Luffy shoved his straw hat back on his head to look at the kingdom's silhouette in the horizon, squinting to see better. Law smirked at his wonderment, but he was slightly saddened to know this was the first time Luffy actually saw parts of Dressrosa that weren't serving as his cell.

"So, which way is Dressroba?"

"Dressrosa. It's south from us," Law said. He'd found a map and a compass lying abandoned on a table, and studied them scrutinously. He wasn't a navigator by any right, but there was no doubt in Law's mind that they were better off with _anyone_ but Luffy setting the course.

"But you don't have a submarine, Torao. How are we supposed to get down?" Luffy asked obliviously and held his hand up to test the air.

"South doesn't mean down, idiot."

"Well, it does get warmer over here…"

Law had no words for that. "Can you help me lower the mainsail? We should use this wind to our advantage."

Luffy nodded, still puzzled by the winds and south and _everything,_ as far as Law could tell. "Yeah, sure. But aren't we-"

"Stop where you stand, lowly bandits! Don't move!" a voice called out from seemingly nowhere, cutting Luffy off.

Law quirked a curious eyebrow. "Or what?"

"I'm glad you asked," the voice bellowed. "For I have you surrounded! Me and my crew of 8,000 men have you cornered, so just surrender!"

Law snorted. "There's no way you have all those men here."

"8,000 men!?" Luffy gasped in astonishment, unsurprisingly oblivious to logic. "That's _amazing_! Where are they?"

"In this guy's imagination, Luffy-ya. We're not actually surrounded," Law deadpanned. "Don't be so damn gullible."

Luffy pouted his disappointment. "But why did he say he had all those men if he doesn't? I got excited for no reason."

"Oh, you are mistaken! Because me and my feared crew are here to protect this vessel from thieves such as yourselves. Tremble in fear!"

"I'll pass," Law muttered. He looked around in search of the speaker, and noticed a man standing in the crow's nest. The stranger was young and lanky, with a large slingshot in his hand and crown of curly dark hair framing his face like a lion's mane. He had a long nose and wore a pair of yellow overalls, and a mask that covered his face for some reason.

With the sun shining behind him, glinting off the mask's polished surface, and the wind rustling his hair, the newcomer looked almost threatening. _Almost_.

"You have until the count of three to surrender!" the man yelled. Now that Law could really look at him, it was clear that the stranger's knees were wobbling.

 _"One!"_

Next to him, Luffy lowered his straw hat to overshadow his eyes.

 _"Two!"_

"Are you really willing to shoot us?" the merman challenged, paying no mind to the countdown. His words held an unspoken threat and an influence Law had never heard in his voice before, and it was captivating. "Have you raised that weapon with purpose, or as a prop? If need be, would you kill me?"

The man lowered his weapon in surprise and all but fell from the mast. "I-I... _Yes!_ "

"Shishishi, good," Luffy giggled, the veneer of intimidation fast discarded and forgotten. "You can't take a thing like that as a joke. Or at least that's what someone told me once. Come down, we're not going to hurt anyone."

Law stared at Luffy, unsure what to make of the scene even as the man climbed down from his perch. The merman was undoubtedly the oddest person he'd ever met in his life, although Law had to admit that Pica and Senor Pink came close.

"Nice to meetcha!" Luffy grinned, and the man -more like a teenager now that Law could take a better look- smiled back warily, unable to tear his eyes from Luffy's tail. Law could almost see him connect the dots in his head.

"Welcome, I guess," he said after a beat. "This is my ship, the Going Merry."

"Cool ship!" Luffy praised. "So, that's Torao-"

"Law, my name is Law."

"- and we're pirates!"

The teen stared at the two intruders with wide eyes, clearly trying to decide what the make of it all. "Pirates? I thought those were just a children's story," he muttered, and his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Are you trying to steal my Merry?"

Law stifled an exasperated groan as the teen tightened his hold on the slingshot and aimed it at Luffy's head, right between the merman's eyes. Luffy only blinked in surprise and grinned. "Go ahead and shoot, but we're not here to steal your ship. It's actually a pretty funny story, see-"

"For some other time, maybe, Luffy-ya," Law interjected. "We got shipwrecked last night and found Merry-ya. You aren't headed to Dressrosa by any chance? I can pay you once we get there."

It was a lie, of course, but the boat's owner seemed not to notice. That, or he was still too caught up on staring at Luffy incredulously to focus on much else. After a while, he hummed in understanding and lowered his slingshot.

"Uhh, sure, I was heading there anyway to sell today's catch," he mumbled. "Wait… Luffy? You're _Luffy_?"

Law blinked in surprise and looked at the merman, who was scrunching his brow in a mix of confusion and concentration. "Yeah, that's me! But how do you know my name?"

"I knew it! You can't fool me," the other teen declared victoriously. He reached a hand to his mask, but halted seeing that he had Luffy's undivided attention. Law could barely believe his eyes when the teen gasped melodramatically and pointed to something out in the ocean. "Oh, look, what's that? A terrible monster?"

"A monster? Cool!" Luffy beamed, turning to ogle at the direction the masked man was pointing at.

While Luffy was looking elsewhere, the teen took the mask off his face, dropping it on the deck unceremoniously. He smiled widely at Law and Luffy. "It's me Luffy, Usopp! Boy, it's been ages!"

Law was tongue tied with second-hand embarrassment, and just stared at the teen disbelievingly. Luffy grinned, snickering with delight. "Oh, it's you, Usopp! Where'd that other guy go?"

"He went to protect us from the monster, of course…"

"You two know each other?" Law asked, unsure whether to be surprised or amused by the turn of events. "Small world."

"Shishishi, yeah, I helped Usopp beat up this catfish guy once!" Luffy chirped. Usopp clapped the merman on his shoulder.

"Yes, it was really something. I must've taken on at least fifty of Kuro's cronies at once!" he bragged. "But that was years ago, and we were just kids back then. You look a lot different, Luffy."

"You too!"

It was then that Law decided that he didn't particularly care to listen to the boys' reminiscing, and he sauntered back to the portside railing, rubbing his head. What a weird day.

He checked the compass, relieved to notice that they wouldn't need to change course too drastically to reach Dressrosa by noon. Law heard something crash and break behind him, and sighed. At least Usopp was guaranteed to be more helpful than the overly eager merman could ever be.

For one, the fisherman could actually _reach_ the rigging and the rudder without risk of knocking everyone in a two metre radius into the sea.

"Long Nose-ya," Law started, earning an annoyed look from Usopp and snickers from Luffy. "Would you mind if we set sail? Luffy-ya and I are on a bit of a schedule."

"If you say so. I'll pull in the anchor," Usopp shrugged.

"No offense, but isn't the anchor a bit too heavy for you to raise on your own? You don't even have a crew," Law questioned.

Usopp's features split in a wide grin, eyes sparkling. He drawled onto a long tale about him and his crew of five men and women, talking about their adventures and his own unparalleled strength. Luffy seemed enthralled by the picture he painted, but Law wasn't as charmed.

"- and we sailed into the sky, if you can believe it. My crew was scared stiff, of course, but I encouraged them with to stay strong! And we broke the surface and I was the first human from our lands to swim in clouds!"

Law cleared his throat and aimed a meaningful glance at the teen. Usopp blanched. "The point is that while I'm currently crewless, that hasn't stopped me from sailing. Using my ingenious skill and wit, I've come up with a system to captain the Merry all by myself!" he announced and pulled a nondescript lever right beside the galley door.

A loud mechanical whirring sounded from somewhere below deck, and the Merry lurched as the anchor's weight settled on the floorboards inside the ship, and the clips holding the mainsail in place unfastened, letting the coarse fabric loose. The sails caught wind almost instantaneously, and the Merry was soon bobbing on the waves like it had been operated by a crew of five instead of one man with a lever.

"Awesome!" Luffy shouted at the top of his lungs, eyes shining with amazement.

Law had to admit that the system was rather inventive, and definitely very convenient. He gave Usopp an approving smirk. "That's pretty handy of you."

"Yeah, you're a genius, Usopp!" Luffy chirped. Usopp beamed with pride.

The two boys got carried away from there, talking about some common acquaintances Law had no interest in learning about. He sighed and leaned against the railing, holding his side with one hand. The ache from yesterday's unlawful arrest was still ghosting on his skin, and his bones and ligaments protested any and all sudden movements.

Getting back to the castle would be a pain in the ass. Law had destroyed their way out as they'd escaped the cell, and the dungeons were sure to be heavily guarded notwithstanding. The tunnel leading to Luffy's cell was probably sealed shut by now, and the surrounding ocean was of no use to them if they didn't have a way to slip past the sentries and inside the castle walls. Any way Law looked at it, the prospects of success seemed slim at best, miniscule, even.

Moreover, they were yet to breach the subject of Luffy's future plans. Alliance aside, Law had no false assumptions about the merman's motives. He was only sticking along while he recovered and gained his strength, but after that Luffy would most certainly be on his merry way.

He had no reason to return to the castle where he'd been held prisoner and subjected to god knows what cruelties -his back was still in shreds, in the lack of a better word, as was his tail, and it didn't take a detective to deduct how that had happened.

If _\- when -_ Luffy would dive under the surface and leave Law, he would be up against the entirety of Dressrosa with no backup. It was a veritable suicide mission, and still Law didn't even entertain the thought of giving up. Cora was in that castle and the king was hatching a plan of some sorts, one that Law would not let grow into fruition if he could help it. He needed to find that recording snail, and show the people of Dressrosa that their king was a rotten bastard.

"Torao!" Luffy called out, unknowingly snapping Law from his reverie. He hadn't noticed the merman sneak up on him. "Usopp's joining my crew! I have a crewmate!"

"That's good," Law replied disinterestedly. "So now we're an alliance of three, right?"

"Yeah! Did you know that the guy with the mask earlier is his friend, and he's the sniper king! Isn't that cool? Too bad he had to go..."

Law offered a curt nod in reply, brows knitting together irately. "Super. Did Long Nose-ya happen to mention when we'll reach Dressrosa?"

Luffy cupped his chin. "No, I don't think so. He said we have six knots, though, so I guess we need to open those before we can get there. I could swim there faster for sure!"

"You're still injured, Luffy-ya. And your means of getting us back would be less than pleasant based on yesterday's events, so I'll pass," Law said, frowning at the mere idea. "And he means speed, moron. A sailboat's speed is measured in knots."

"Oh, so we don't need to open them? That's good, I couldn't find them anyway." Luffy grinned sheepishly. "Usopp's sleeping inside, he was out fishing all night."

Law hummed in understanding and listened with half an ear as Luffy recounted the stories the fisherman had told him.

He closed his eyes, his focus drifting back to a birdcage of a castle and a comatose father figure. He hoped Cora was okay and unharmed by Law's rebellion, vulnerable as he was. If Doflamingo would choose to punish Cora because of his actions… Law shuddered, and it wasn't from the cold.

He shifted his attention back to Luffy's rambles for a moment - _'wait, what's a sogeking?'_ \- and found himself rather enjoying the story even if he couldn't really make heads or tails of it. Suddenly, Law heard the fluttering of wings by his ear, and a large seagull landed on the railing next to Law's head, crying for attention. The merman smiled at it, forgetting all about Usopp's imaginary feats, and lifted himself upright with his tail so that he could see the bird better.

"Do you have any seeds or something it could eat?" Luffy asked aiming a friendly smile at the bird. "It looks hungry."

"It's a news coo, Luffy-ya. It sells newspapers," Law said flatly. "And I have no money on me. Just shoo it away."

The bird seemed to understand the human's words and let out a low caw of disappointment. It spread its wings, ready to fly off to the next prospective customer, but was stopped in its tracks when Luffy caught its leg none too kindly.

"Wait!" the merman gasped and pulled the bird back, uncaring of its struggles. The seagull flapped its wings in disarray and poked the hand holding it in place fiercely with its beak, but Luffy paid it no heed as he fought to pry a newspaper from the news coo's delivery bag. "Give me that!"

"Are you out of your mind? It's just a bird," Law mocked, bemused. "Let it go."

"Hey, I need to see that!" Luffy ordered and tugged at the paper with a bit more force. The seagull lost its balance and dropped the paper, and Luffy released it instantly.

The bird aimed a furious glare at the merman and left with a huff, clearly deciding that one newspaper wasn't worth the hassle.

Law rubbed the bridge of his nose in exasperation and closed his eyes. "You can't be _that_ desperate for a meal, Luffy-ya. Why would you do that?"

Luffy didn't reply for quite some time, and Law opened one eye to peer at the teen. He was staring at the front page with wide eyes, all colour drained from his features and mouth hanging agape in silent shock. Law casted a wary glance at the paper, not knowing what to expect.

 _"Breaking News:_

 _ONE IN, ONE OUT - The escape of one merman leads to the capture of another!"_

Law's smirk faded away in a flash, and he leaned in to take a closer look. In the centre of the front page was a picture of a merman with freckles on his cheeks and a hateful scowl on his lips. He had a beautiful tail of gold and red, and wore naught but a set of pearls around his neck.

Ace looked nothing like the scrawny kid Law had seen back in the merfolk kingdom a decade ago, but Law didn't really need visual cues to figure out who the merman was, anyway. Luffy's shell shocked expression was telling enough.

"That's… It can't be?" Luffy rasped disbelievingly, clutching the newspaper in his hands hard enough to rip the pages. "That's Ace, but… but why? You sent him a message, right? He should be home with Pineapple, he should be safe. Why is he in the newspaper?"

Law skimmed the article. "It says that Ace-ya tried to infiltrate the castle in order to free you and take the king's life, but he was caught. They're planning to..." Law trailed off, his gaze fixated on a single word on the page.

"Execute my brother," Luffy growled, balling the newspaper up in his hands. "I read the text already. They're going to _kill_ Ace."

The statement weighed heavy in Law's ears, full of despair and raw anger.

Luffy hung his head, and Law scrambled for words of comfort or reassurance, anything, but the right phrases eluded him. He patted Luffy on the back awkwardly. "It's not too late to save him, we still have time."

Luffy looked up at Law with anguished eyes, and for a moment Law couldn't see the strong merman who'd saved his life past the lost child from ten years back. "I can't do this again, Torao," Luffy whispered. "We need to stop them."

Law's head filled with questions. _Again_? The word was loaded with spectres of dread and death, and Law only hoped that Luffy would prove them all wrong. "What do you mean again?"

"You know the war between my kind and the outcasts two years ago?" Luffy muttered, eyes downcast and overshadowed. He gnawed on his lower lip so hard that Law was expecting to see blood any second now.

"Of course," Law said. Everyone knew about the war that had shaken the merfolk society to its core, creating a rift between them and the vagabond group of outcasts whose warped illusions of absolute justice had sparked the aggressions to begin with.

Law knew it was a sore subject for most mermen, and Luffy bringing it up was like being faced with the black hound of death. "What about it?"

"Well, I had two brothers," Luffy whispered, so quietly that Law almost didn't hear him. "Ace and Sabo."

"And you lost Sabo-ya in the war?" Law prompted cautiously.

Luffy nodded numbly. "Yeah. He died because of me, because I was stupid. One moment we were leaving and the next... There was so much blood, an ocean of red, Torao, and I-" Luffy's breath hitched, and he stared faraway, reliving something Law really didn't want to see. He already felt like he was intruding a private moment, and averted his eyes.

Law suddenly had an eerie inkling as to what had caused the large starburst scar that marred Luffy's chest.

"I understand. You don't have to tell me, Luffy-ya."

"I was _useless,_ but I won't make the same mistakes twice," Luffy vowed, adopting a grim scowl. "Sabo was a great brother, and Ace is too. We have to save him!"

"We will. I'm going to make sure both Cora-san and Ace-ya survive this mess," Law stated without a trace of doubt, placing a hand on Luffy's shoulder. He felt guilty for being so damn happy that Luffy was going to tag along for his suicide mission when all they could do was gamble with their lives and hope for a royal flush.

Luffy didn't seem to share his sentiments, and just grinned with determination. "Yeah, we'll save them. They're counting on us!"

The healer didn't have a reply to that, and Luffy seemed content with the chance to clear his thoughts, so they settled in a silence charged with hopes, fears and adrenaline.

Law could practically _see_ Luffy's fingers twitch in preparation for a punch he wouldn't get to land for hours, and he thought sombrely that this might have been the last chance either of them got to taste freedom. Or life, for that matter. Law realised with reserved surprise that should Luffy die in the battles to come, he would miss the obstinate brat. He didn't think much of his own survival.

"So this is that common foe then, isn't it?" Luffy asked after a while, almost back to his usual exuberant self, if not a bit more determined and deadly. "Kicking that king off his throne will be our first mission as pirates!"

Law had forgotten all about that silly thing. "Sure, Luffy-ya," he agreed absently, "that's what the alliance was for."

"Will we be kings next then?" Luffy wondered. "No, I guess not. But it's still pretty cool, right?"

"Can't wait," Law scoffed. "I think we have more important things to think about right now, wouldn't you agree?"

"Like what?" Luffy said carelessly. "There's nothing we can do until we get there, and when we do we'll just kick Mingo's butt. What more is there?"

Law didn't know where to begin, so he just rolled his eyes. "A lot more, Luffy-ya. How do you expect for us to get inside the castle, for one?"

"Hmm... Usopp can take us all the way to the port!" Luffy declared, hitting his hand with his fist. "We can get past the guards with the Merry."

"Not quite. But you do have a point there," Law was forced to admit, and an idea took root in his mind. He sat down, leaning his back against the railing, and fell back into weaving his web of plans and ploys. Luffy plopped down next to him and leaned his head on Law's shoulder again, sighing deeply, but this time Law didn't find it in him to push the kid off of him.

Usopp got back on deck to man the ship, and hours passed as the trio waited for the caravel to reach its destination. It was almost noon, with the sun at its highest point and the winds warm and welcoming, when Law opened his eyes. He smirked to himself. He had a plan, and it would work. Probably. Hopefully.

"Oi!" Usopp's voice rang out, snapping the merman and the human out of their own respective reveries. "We're almost there, fellas!"

Content with his action plan for now, Law stretched his stiff limbs and got up to see the shoreline and the silhouette of the castle a few kilometres away. He scowled at the sight and shared a passing glance with Luffy, who was glaring at the castle with sombre eyes; jaw set and arms crossed.

They were back.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Dun dun duun... Please review!**_


	12. Off the Deep End

**A/N: Hi, long time no update, eh? I've probably lost like half of my readers, but I have a good reason! This story was unfortunately reposted on another site, and while I managed to get it taken down, the whole thing really put me off posting/updating anything. Remember the rule of thumb, pals; if it's not yours, don't post it.**

 **Anyhoo, small rant over, let's find out what happens next!**

* * *

The city centre was stuffy and crowded regardless of the harsh afternoon sun; not exactly the ideal circumstances for smuggling two wanted men inside a heavily guarded fortress. Especially when one of them just _happened_ to be a merman, too.

And yet, Law found himself walking next to Usopp as the fisherman manoeuvred a cart filled to the brim with fish -in more ways than one- toward the castle's entrance. They were moving slowly, agonizingly so, and Law was growing convinced that everyone's eyes were on them despite the fact that no one seemed to spare them a second glance. They were simple fishermen looking to sell the day's haul, after all. Nothing more.

The fake moustache Law had stolen from some gift shop was itchy against his upper lip, and the healer scrunched his nose in annoyance. He pulled the hood of his coat further over his head, making sure that it covered his eyes, and scowled as someone bumped into him. He'd rarely been outside the castle without guards to keep the commoners at an arm's length, and the people that all but swarmed the marketplace and the alleyways kept invading his personal space. Travelling as a nameless fisherman instead of the Earl of Dressrosa had its hardships, but Law gritted his teeth and pushed his ire aside, focusing on the entire reason they were doing this.

They walked up to the queue leading to the castle gate with slow strides, doing their absolute best to look as calm and uncaring as possible. Law recognized one of the men stationed at the gate, and he averted his eyes, hoping that their cover wouldn't be blown before they'd even get inside the castle walls. Suddenly, hiding in plain sight didn't seem like such a great idea.

Maybe they should just have followed Luffy's plan, idiotic as it may be, and kicked the door in. But the merman was more or less useless on land and had thus been outvoted, so now they were stuck in line to the damn castle, surrounded by far too many pairs of eyes for Law's liking.

"You remember the plan, right?" he asked under his breath, casting a sideway glance at the teen beside him.

Usopp was shaking so hard his teeth clattered, a nervous wreck to say the least. Still, his numerous promises of fleeing and leaving the two outlaws behind were nothing but empty words, and they both knew it. "I think I'm coming down with something, and a really dangerous something, too. It's called the I-can't-go-into-that-castle-disease."

"You're not sick Usopp," Luffy countered, popping his head out from the barrel Usopp and Law had stuffed him into after a long and arduous period of Tetris with tails. "And we're almost there, so give it a rest."

The fisherman rubbed his neck nervously. "Yeah, yeah… But I still don't have to like it. We could always turn back?" Neither fugitive dignified his words with a response, and Usopp let out a strained chuckle. "I guess not."

"Do you or do you not remember the plan?" Law asked again. His patience was wearing thin. "No one forced you to join us, Long Nose-ya."

"I know," Usopp admitted, scratching his arm. "I'll do this, I promised I would. I guess you could say that I have a debt to pay."

They got closer to the entrance, and Law scanned their surroundings warily. He could see his and Luffy's faces on posters left and right - _Doflamingo's cronies sure wasted no time there, huh?_ \- and he shoved Luffy's head back under the barrel's lid before anyone caught a glimpse at the merman.

The people queuing in front of them passed through the gates with their belongings at a fast pace, and before long Law and Usopp stood in front of the guards, trying to act casual.

Usopp was covered in a sheen of cold sweat, and Law gave him a warning glance as they walked up to the gatekeepers. He would have to do the talking, after all.

* * *

 _"Wait, you want me to do what?" Usopp asked, eyes wide and tone disbelieving._

 _"Break into the castle with us," Luffy replied nonchalantly, like it was the simplest thing. "We'll get Ace out of there and kick that Mingo's butt. It's going to be an adventure!"_

 _Law set his jaw to keep from laughing at the merman's bluntness and leaned his head back. They were waiting for the Merry to reach the port so that they could dock and make their way to the palace. Although they all knew it would be only a matter of minutes now, time seemed to move at a crawl speed._

 _"And do what? I saw your faces on the cover of that newspaper, and I don't even know_ why _you're wanted. Not that it really surprises me when you're concerned, Luffy," Usopp said, trying to keep his tone light and joking. He wasn't doing a very good job._

 _"Just get us through the gates, Long Nose-ya, please," Law reiterated and crossed his arms. "There's something inside that castle we need just as much as Ace-ya. It would be a big help."_

 _"Why do you need to get into that castle to begin with? It's filled to the brim with people who want nothing more than to kill you. Going back is moronic," Usopp questioned, anxious._

 _"That's just a part of the fun," Luffy chirped. "I'll go back with Torao, anyway."_

 _"Er, sure. But we'd just be sneaking in for a visit, right? No fighting?"_

 _Luffy gave Usopp a blank look. "What do you think, that they'll just let us take Ace and Torao's dad with us?"_

 _"But someone could get hurt, and there's some really powerful people up there, Luffy. You must have heard of the Joker! He's not someone you want to mess with," Usopp urged, eyes darting pleadingly to Law._

 _Luffy was undeterred, and only grinned wider with each word he spoke. "But what's an adventure without danger? I think you should come with us, Usopp, we'll send the chicken king flying together!"_

 _Usopp nodded slowly and gulped. "And you're going to do this no matter what?"_

 _"Yup. They have Ace."_

 _The sniper sighed resignedly and fastened his hold on his slingshot, eyes downcast. He was silent for a moment, gathering his wits -and guts- but when he looked up and met Luffy's unblinking gaze, he was smiling confidently._

 _"Fine, fine, I will lead the assault if you really need me to, no need to beg. Usopp the Great has your backs!"_

 _Law shared a look with Luffy, who only shrugged._

* * *

Law had almost convinced himself that Usopp would doom them to a walk down the plank as soon as he'd open his mouth, and the healer was all but preparing to switch to plan B -kick the door in and hope for the best- when Usopp drew a deep breath and smiled widely.

"Evening gentlemen. Me and my apprentice are here to deliver some fish for the king, nothing but the finest carp and tuna man could ask for!" he bragged, puffing his chest but never loosening his hold on his weapon.

The guards eyed the men inquisitively. After a few moments of tense silence, they grunted disinterestedly and stared at each other in confusion, seeming to forget what they had been doing altogether. Law couldn't believe their luck as he stepped through the main gate to the inner yard and the nobles' marketplace.

"Nice work," he commended with hushed words, absently stroking the moustache that was still tickling his skin. Usopp, shaking from head to toe, only nodded; the adrenaline coursing in his veins having effectively robbed him of his voice. Law smirked at the teen.

"You helped us get in, Long Nose-ya, and that's already more than we asked for. You could leave, you know," he assured, but Usopp only shook his head resolutely.

"No, I'm fine. Don't worry about me," he said. "I'd be more worried about Luffy punching a hole in that barrel any second now, if I was you."

Law, realizing the very real threat of that actually happening, narrowed his eyes and glared at the barrel. The merman inside was grumbling something barely audible and, while his whining was thankfully drowned by the clamouring crowds, the way Luffy kept moving inside the confined space and damn near knocked the barrel over every two seconds was all too noticeable. Law was a bit tempted to just dump the teen in some pile of canned tuna where he belonged, and carry on.

He didn't get the chance act on that impulse, however, as a child walked past the three schemers. He was no more than eight years old, with a wild head of red locks and wide eyes that peered up at Law curiously. Law ducked under his cloak, and even Luffy stilled.

"Mommy?" the kid started. "That man has a funny moustache, he looks like the one in that drawing!"

Law recounted every curse and swear he knew in his thoughts.

The child's mother stopped in her tracks and gave Law a once over.

"What do you mean, dear?" the woman asked, her voice sweet as honey even as her brow furrowed in bewilderment. She cupped her cheek with one sleek, gloved hand; staring intently at the two men with a cart and a barrel. Law held his breath.

"I don't see anything, sweetie, you must be imagining things. Oh, but what was I doing again…?" the woman mused, scrunching her nose bemusedly and idly grabbed the boy's hand as she treaded along. The kid twisted and turned to peer at Law and Usopp for as long as he could, until he and his mother disappeared into the jungle of pedestrians.

Usopp let out a deep breath, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. "That was close. A second more and the charm would have dwindled."

Law offered a reserved nod in response. As a fairly proficient user of illusionary magic, Usopp had casted a small charm on the fake moustache that kept tickling Law's nose. Anyone looking at the healer with ill will or the intent to identify him would be distracted from their task and therefore unable to recognize Law. Of course, Usopp's prowess was in mechanics and inventions, not in spell work, so the charm wasn't all that strong. But it was better than nothing.

"We'd best abscond regardless," Law muttered. "Luffy-ya really seems intent on getting out of that barrel."

Usopp rolled his eyes and pushed the cart to a side alley. He knocked on the barrel and Luffy popped his head out again with speed that sent the lid flying. He gasped for air. "About time! It's so cramped in there, I can't breathe!"

"Just bear with it for some more, Luffy," Usopp snapped. "We're not done yet."

"Yes, unfortunately the hard part is only starting." Law agreed. "So keep still and be quiet, please."

"Hurry up, then," Luffy pouted, glaring at the water that more or less filled the barrel accusingly. He fidgeted and let out a frustrated sigh before meeting Law's amber eyes. "Ace's waiting."

He didn't need to say more; Law was just as irked about being so helpless too, forced to wait and tread carefully when all he wanted to do was get to Cora-san already. Luffy dipped back into the water, leaving a trail of bubbles in his wake, and Usopp coughed into his hand to break the tension that seemed to hang over their heads.

"Shall we?" he suggested tentatively, offering a wary grin.

Law nodded, shrugging off his own anticipation of the absolute worst. "Follow me, the servants' entrance is this way, I believe."

They walked slowly toward the castle's eastern wing and the kitchens situated there. No one spared them a second glance as Law and Usopp pushed their cart through the archway leading to the castle's lower levels. It was nearly dinner time, after all, and the kitchen was abuzz with slaves and servants cooking thirty things at once and scampering from one cabinet to another in search of ingredients and dishes.

This of course created a perfect cover for the three men on a mission, as everyone was far too busy with dinner preparations to focus on much else. Or that was what Law relied on, at least, and he found a small smirk playing on his features as he heard someone mention that they were about to bring fluids and herbs to a certain comatose duke. _Cora_.

"Usopp?" A woman's voice called out, making the sniper stop in his tracks. Law cursed himself for ever believing things might work out without a hitch. "Usopp, is that you?"

Usopp spun on his heels, clutching his slingshot to his chest. Law was fast to follow.

Standing before them was that same redheaded slave girl Law kept seeing in the castle, the one who had been gifted to Doflamingo on the king's forty second name day. She wore a white apron and carried a tray in her hands that was stacked high with plates, cups and napkins. Her hair stuck to her face with sweat from working in the hot room, but the girl didn't seem to care. She simply blew it off her eyes to take a closer look at the sniper.

Usopp stared at her, his mouth hanging agape in a mix of astonishment and shock. "Nami? But how, no, _why_ are you here?"

"A job went bad," the girl said, confident and unconcerned. "But it's fine, I'm back on track. Why are _you_ here?"

Law cleared his throat, nudging Usopp to move along. They had stopped in the middle of a narrow hallway, blocking the path from a lot of people and attracting the attention of many more. "We need to move along, Long Nose-ya."

Usopp grinned sheepishly, taking the hint, and pushed the cart past the faceless mass of servants into a large pantry. Law squinted in the dark room and scowled as the dusty air stuck to his moustache and made breathing a chore. How he wanted to take the disguise off and breathe, but the charm was still in place and indispensable.

"I'm here to show my new apprentice the ropes, obviously. As you can see, he's a bit on the slow side and not much of a talker, but we're hoping my genius will rub off on him," Usopp bragged, but Nami silenced him with one perfectly arched eyebrow.

"Sure, and your 8,000 men are waiting outside," she quipped, smirking even as her eyes darted to Law apprehensively. "Seriously, why are you here, and who's your pal? He looks kind of familiar."

Law frowned, hoping against hope that the spell would show some resilience in the face of the woman's scrutiny. "I just have one of those faces, I guess."

He leaned on the barrel in attempt to keep the bored merman trapped inside it from breaking the damn thing, but it was of no use and he knew it. Luffy was already trying to shove the lid off, overcome by curiosity at hearing Nami's voice.

Unsurprisingly, Law was thrown off balance as the teen punched his way through the wooden lid, sending shrapnel flying every which way.

"Finally! Are we there yet?"

Nami blinked at the odd ensemble, her brows knitting together in confusion. Law thought they were done for, but as soon as her eyes fell on the merman, the puzzled look changed to one of surprise and exasperation. "Oh, I should have known. Hi Luffy."

"Shishishi, hi Nami!" Luffy laughed and waved at the redhead. "What's up?"

Law didn't even bother wondering how the three knew each other. However, he did recall seeing the redhead sitting by the pond with Luffy every once in awhile, and hearing the merman mention some slave -he hadn't thought it important enough to memorize her name at the time- bringing him food and new clothes when Law wasn't around.

"Nothing... What in the world are you idiots up to?" Nami demanded to know. She aimed another look at Law, and the healer could practically _feel_ the charm chip away under her piercing gaze. Nami gasped in surprise as the charm faded and the nameless apprentice transformed into the wanted former noble right in front of her eyes.

"What the hell!? You're Sir Trafalgar, aren't you?" she questioned commandingly. "Someone fill me in. _Now_."

Luffy was all too eager to comply. "Well, this king guy has Ace and I'm going to go kick his ass and free my brother. Oh, and Torao needs to find his worm and his dad."

"It's a recording snail," Law supplied. "It has important evidence on it, and we need to get it back. And Cora's my _adoptive_ father."

"Sure... I assume this all has to do with the fact that you're accused of treason and attempted murder?" Nami asked, resting her hands on her hips. "You're trying to prove you're innocent. You _are_ innocent, right?"

"Yes," Law assured curtly. They had more important places to be at the moment.

She smirked confidently. "Well, in that case I happened to hear about a den den fitting that description being closely guarded in the treasury. I could take you to it, with a price of course."

Usopp blanched and eyed Nami warily. "And that price would be?"

"Oh, say, half of the treasury's contents after you guys get that bird brain of a king thrown out of Dressrosa," Nami said, eyes glinting. Luffy laughed openly.

"Deal!" A radiant grin split the merman's face as he casually overlooked the fact that he was in no means in control of Dressrosa's affluence. "You go get the snail with Usopp and me and Torao will go find Ace!"

Nami shook Luffy's hand. "Great! You're always such a lucrative business partner, Luffy!"

She reached into her sleeve and pulled out three blue pipes. They connected with a soft _click_ , and Nami looked at the staff they formed appraisingly.

Usopp smiled. "How's that climatact been working for you?"

"No complaints." Nami grinned. She took Usopp's hand in hers and waved at Luffy and Law as the dragged the sniper out of the pantry. "See you on the other side, Luffy! Make sure you get Ace out of here!"

"Shishishi, of course! Good luck, we're counting on you!"

* * *

"You're so fucking heavy, Luffy-ya," Law grumbled as he pushed the merman further down the corridor that led to the castle's lower levels. Nami had kindly informed them -at the reasonable price of twenty million beris- that Ace was being detained in one of the lesser used trophy rooms instead of the dungeons.

Luffy grinned, peaking under the brim of his straw hat. "It didn't seem to be a problem for Usopp, but sure, whatever you say."

"Damn brat," Law growled under his breath and, giving into his petty side, scuffed the corner of the cart against the wall on purpose. Luffy flailed for a handhold, splashing some of the barrel's water onto the cart and the man pushing it. He sent a petulant look Law's way.

"Hey, not my fault if you can't manage it," Luffy grumbled.

Law rolled his eyes. "And how exactly do you suppose you'd be moving around right now without me?" he pointed out, smirking. "Now shut up, we're getting close."

"You were the one who started talking," Luffy protested, but fell quiet nonetheless.

Law opened his mouth to snap something in reply, but thought better of it. He didn't want to prove the runt right. They came to a crossroad after a few minutes of silent striding, but the guideposts for both branching corridors were too weathered to be of any help. Law stared daggers at them and sighed.

"What do we do, flip a coin?" he asked sardonically.

"Huh?" Luffy voiced and rubbernecked to gawk at the signs. He frowned, a sense of urgency flashing briefly in his brown eyes. "How're we going to find Ace now? We need to hurry!"

"Well, it's a fifty fifty. We need to just pick one of them and hope for the best, I'd say," Law thought aloud.

"No shit," Luffy muttered, but Law didn't even bat an eyelash at his wisecracking.

He was struggling to draw forth any recollection of the blueprints for the castle's lower levels. But they were rarely in use, mouldy and poorly ventilated as they were, and Law had only been to basement once or twice in the past. It was completely encased and far below surface level, so not many wandered there. The castle was big enough not to.

"We should go to where Ace is," Luffy mentioned matter-of-factly, stating the obvious. He cocked his head in curiousity. "Didn't Nami tell you which-?"

He was cut off mid-sentence, mouth still hanging agape as his head snapped to the side. The sound of someone spewing out a furious string of curses and insults filled the air, and the silence that followed was downright deafening.

"That's Ace," Luffy said seriously, all emotion suddenly locked behind an impassable poker face. "He's close, I know it."

Law took his word for it and pushed the cart to where he thought the unexpected sound had come from. They found the correct trophy room fast enough, soon standing a bit ways from an enforced door with a burly guard posted in front of it. The man looked like he was bored out of his mind, meticulously ignoring the enraged cries that continued to echo from the cell behind him.

Luffy scowled in distaste at the scene, balling his hands into white knuckled fists. "Hey! That's Ace in there, right?" he yelled.

The man's eyes snapped back to focus and, for a moment, he just stared at Law and Luffy, positively dumbfounded. His gaze rested on Luffy, and he cracked a toothy grin as he recognized the merman from his wanted posters.

"Look who's come crawling back," the guard mocked, shaking off his momentary puzzlement. "Or no, you can't even do that, can you? What a joke."

"Shut up," Luffy ordered flatly. "Me and Torao are going to go see Ace now."

"That man is to be executed tomorrow, small fry. Care to join him in the gallows?" he taunted, showing a row of yellow teeth as he leered at the merman. "Because that can be arranged."

Luffy gave the man an utterly unimpressed look. "So? Let me see my brother, jerk. I'm in a rush."

"No, I think I'll call the guards instead," the man said, his tone light like he hadn't a care in the world.

Law wondered what he must have thought of the pair; a merman stuck in a barrel, virtually helpless, and a man charmed beyond recognition. Any way you looked at it, they sure weren't the most threatening sight. That must have been what the guard thought, too, as he let out a bellowing laugh and unsheathed a long rapier from his hip.

Law smirked. He almost pitied the man.

He just barely had the time to step out of the way as Luffy _snarled,_ vicious _,_ and the next thing Law knew was that the barrel was in shambles and the guard a bloody mess, laying on the ground in a heap of broken limbs.

And Luffy was staring right at Law, panting and looking like he could and would kill a man should one as much as entertain the thought of stepping in his path; the path that led to his brother, who sure as hell would _not_ be executed.

"Torao?"

Law could only hum his response. Dust that had been sent flying from the impact floated in the still air, and the light of the candles made the scene look eerie. Luffy gave Law a commanding look.

"Break the door down," the merman said, surrounded by an air of invincibility and determination.

Law shook his head to regain his focus and, one muttered _room_ later, the door was no more. The sound of the wood splintering and the stone wall cracking was resounding, and Law coughed as more dust filled the air, forcing him to close his eyes.

"Ace!" Luffy shouted, and Law could hear someone grunting in disbelief along with sounds of scuffling.

When the healer opened his eyes, squinting to see better, Luffy had already dragged himself into the trophy room and was hugging an older merman chained inside like there was no tomorrow. His brother.

Law drew a deep breath before stepping into the room. Ace's hands were cuffed to the ground in front of him, forcing him to hunch over in order to stay upright. Law scowled, absently gripping his wrist where the cuffs he'd worn himself not so long ago had rubbed the skin raw.

Ace was dirtied; he wore dark circles under his onyx eyes, and there were marks on his skin where something that looked awful lot like strings had chafed his skin. He looked like his past two days had been nothing short of hellish, but he was alive and, considering the circumstances, well.

The human's gaze met with the chained merman's briefly, and in a split second Ace's look of shock and vexation changed to one of protective anger. He pushed Luffy behind his back without hesitation.

"Luffy. Company," he said roughly, but Luffy only laughed -chipper and relieved- and bonked Ace on the head.

"That's Torao, he's a friend. Don't be rude." Luffy said, grinning widely.

Law, too, raised his arms placatingly. "No need to worry about me, Ace-ya. We're all in the same boat, unfortunately. And my name is Trafalgar Law, not Torao."

Ace however, was far from convinced, and glared at the healer questioningly. After a brief staring contest that made Law want to roll his eyes at the merman -he was there to save his sorry ass, for pete's sake- Ace offered the healer a reserved smile and bowed his head in the smallest of nods.

"You helped Lu get here?" he asked incredulously. "Why would you?"

"I have my reasons," Law said, flashes of Cora's grin in his mind.

"Oh, really?" Ace said skeptically. He gave the human a suspicious yet resigned look. "Well, if Lu trusts you... But you shouldn't have brought him back here. Luffy, you gotta go, now!"

"Shishishi, then we'd all better get out soon, right!" Luffy giggled. "Isn't this great, Torao!"

"Yes, I'm very happy for you," Law said politely, but the words came out rather forced. "Allow me."

The cuffs around Ace's wrists clattered on the floor, in pieces. The merman grunted out a curse, taken by surprise. "What the hell? How did you-"

"It's a mystery," Luffy stated, bouncing in his excitement. "Now can we go, Torao?"

Law rubbed the bridge of his nose. "How do you propose we manage that? You two can't exactly walk out, and you broke the only means of transport we have. Smart move."

"Oh, right," Luffy said, grinning sheepishly and scratching the back of his head. Law let out a long, exasperated sigh.

"So, what, we just stay here and wait for someone to find us? Thanks but no thanks," Ace all but growled. He set his jaw and straightened his back, scowling at the walls that entrapped them inside the trophy room. He punched his own open palm. "I'd step back if I were you, human."

Luffy scooted out of range, never losing his grin as he watched his brother flick his golden tail irately. Law stayed put. He raised an eyebrow, curious to see what the merman had in mind.

"Fine, be that way," Ace huffed, and punched the floor underneath him in a blur of motion, leaving a depression. For a moment, Law could've sworn his hand was on fire.

Luffy laughed proudly, and Ace cracked a smile of his own as he geared for a new attack. The merman aimed a new punch at the flooring, and he looked so determined that for a moment Law believed that he really might break through. A second trip in the sewers didn't sound all that appealing.

But Ace's knuckles never hit the floor a second time. There was no impact, no sounds of the floor tiles splitting apart, and no resulting hole in the ground.

Instead, the merman's hand was left hovering millimetres above the stone floor, his knuckles ghosting over the intended target zone. His eyes widened in surprise, and Ace lifted his head to search for whatever held him in place.

Doflamingo leaned against the broken doorframe, arms crossed languidly. A small army of guards stood behind him, waiting for orders.

"What do we have here? A rotten egg with a side of fish?" the king jeered.

The wide grin Luffy had worn only seconds ago was wiped away from his face in an instant, and his eyes narrowed to slits. "You!"

"Who else, brat?" Doflamingo snorted and looked around with melodramatic shock evident in his every movement. "Sheesh, of course it's me. You weren't hoping on slipping past me unnoticed? In my own castle, no less?"

Ace tried to yank his hand free from the strings that trapped it, but it was of no use and he was left vulnerable. Luffy, noticing this, was the arm his brother didn't have at the moment, blocking the king's kick as he tried to strike Ace down.

"Back off!" Luffy growled, standing over his brother and looking very much like an Ares incarnate. "Haven't you done enough, Mingo? Just leave before I send you flying!"

Doflamingo quirked an amused eyebrow and chuckled. "Fufufu, is that so? No matter that you can't even stand, you're still going to defeat me? All in your lonesome?"

"No," Luffy said, darkly. "Torao will help me."

"Really?" the king wondered with mock surprise, turning to look at Law, who glared back with murderous heat in his eyes. "You're going to stand up to me, Lawsie? After everything I've done for you?"

"You tried to _kill_ Cora-san!" Law blurted out in a fit of fury. "I have no respect for you and I most certainly don't owe you a damn thing!"

"And that is exactly the mentality that cost you your future, boy," Doflamingo said, deathly ice lacing his words. "Oh, I bet losing your two fish pals will just _devastate_ that old octopus, Whitebeard."

"You've got to be shitting me?" Ace hissed between gritted teeth, still relentlessly tugging at the strings that rendered his arm all but paralyzed. "You're trying to get at Pops?"

Luffy laughed like he'd heard a great joke. "You're pretty stupid aren't you? That will never work."

"I would beg to differ," the king leered. "With your deaths, the flame of the merfolk's anger shall burn anew. Once they get the news, I'm sure Newgate and his little pet fishes will be blinded by rage and grief, making them easy prey to lure in with hopes of retribution."

"Marco will never fall for that, even if the rest run for their pitchforks," Ace said without a hint of doubt. He met the king's gaze fearlessly, and next to him, his little brother nodded.

"Yeah, Pineapple's smart," Luffy concurred. "But he won't have to be, because I'm not going to die!"

"There's no arguing with him, so I wouldn't even bother," Law smirked, but every muscle on his frame tensed like a piano wire as Doflamingo turned his attention back to him. Law clenched his hands into tight fists.

"Good thing I don't waste my time on small fry, then," Doflamingo mused. "Now, if you are quite done, Law, just come with me. We'll leave the fishfolk to rot in here, and you can go back to your beloved Roci."

Law snorted out a laugh. "So now you don't want my head on a pike anymore? How unexpected."

"I miss you, Lawsie. Cora misses you," Doflamingo implored. "Just come home with me."

"I'll cut you a deal," Law said venomously. "You say that like you mean it and jump off a cliff, and _then_ I'll consider it."

"You're such a hoot," Doflamingo chuckled. "I have to hand it to you, I've almost grown to miss your insolence."

"I'm flattered," Law said tonelessly. "But as it stands, I suppose you should fuck off. If you think I don't have a contingency plan, you're mistaken. You can kill us all right here and now, sure, but those will be carried on even without me. Your plans are being unfolded as we speak."

"Oh, how nicely all that would have played out without little old me meddling, right Lawsie?" Doflamingo purred. "Too bad that I can't let you leave."

Law shared a look with Luffy, tensening. He didn't see a way out. The merman flashed a reassuring grin at Law, unafraid, and turned to face the corrupt king.

Luffy glared at Doflamingo challengingly.

"I'll take you on."

* * *

 **A/N: Please let me know what you think!**


	13. Plans Are Overrated Anyway

**With Usopp and Nami:**

Usopp had been in a castle only once before, years ago with a princess back in his homeland. That castle had been smaller and a lot cosier -for a palace, at least- and it had been filled with a lot less people.

Dressrosa's royal castle was the polar opposite. It was large, packed with people speaking five different languages at once, and to top things off it was built like a damn maze. Usopp was convinced that he was in way over his head.

He was still trying to figure out exactly _how_ he'd been roped into stealing some snail for Luffy. Then again, it was Luffy, so he reallfy should have seen it coming.

In any case, Usopp was out of his depth, and he thanked his lucky stars for Nami.

The redhead was a fish in the water where Usopp was struggling just keep afloat. When they'd first left the pantry and gotten the flour -mostly- out of their hair and clothes, Nami had led them to a larger hallway that had been filled with people neither knew. And still, the slave had merely brandished a cocky smile like a weapon and thrown a mischievous wink or a teary gaze at anyone questioning their course.

Much to Usopp's relief, however, the other servants roaming the halls seemed keener on chattering about the upcoming execution than paying any attention on the wayward pair. They saw guards running here and there, yelling commands at one another, and Usopp was pretty sure he'd even heard them shout about a prisoner once or twice.

He could only hope that Luffy had gotten to Ace safely.

The royal vault was in the South wing, above the lower levels and the trophy rooms. It was lavish and large even for Doflamingo's standards and, on any other day, it would have been sealed shut from anyone lacking the birth right to the treasures inside. Nami was undeterred. She moved amidst the servants like a shadow, making no noise and never bumping shoulders with the people they passed. Her grip on Usopp's wrist was like a vice, and the fisherman stumbled as she tugged him along from one corridor to another.

"It's right here, at the end of this hall," she whispered, beckoning Usopp to a crouch next to her with a single finger. The sniper obliged wordlessly, kneeling behind the bookshelf that served as their makeshift hiding spot. He eyed the corridor and their goal with timid eyes.

The surveillance snail was important, he knew that much. It was vital and irreplaceable and the only way they could ever hope to clear Luffy's name. But repeating that to himself did little to stop his knees from shaking.

"Good… But how are we going to get in?" he stammered.

Nami smirked confidently. "See, there are no guards in sight, everyone's dealing with Luffy. There's security snails in the ceiling, if I remember correctly, and a guard posted at the vault door around the corner. Just one! This is going to be _too_ easy."

"Of course, a real cakewalk. Just leave this to Usopp the Great!" The sniper shrugged with mock indifference.

Nami rolled her eyes. "Sure. So can I take that as you volunteering to distract the guy while I sneak into the treasury, then?"

"Hey, don't jump to conclusions, I just-" Usopp started, but Nami shushed him silent before he got the chance to try and boast his way out of trouble.

He followed Nami's line of sight to the end of the hallway, and watched as a young man with the posture and the sneer of a noble walked out of the vault room. Usopp heard him exchange words with someone -the guard, probably- but saw no one. The entrance to the vault was halfway hidden behind a corner, and all the two thieves could see was a hand extending to take the key as the nobleman handed it over.

Nami snorted out a laugh. "Amateurs. That's the key, Usopp, can you believe it? There are two, one is at that desk and copies of the other one are given to most nobles who need access," she snickered. "All we need to do is steal a one of each."

"How do you know all this?" Usopp asked, incredulous.

Nami winked conspiratorially. "Well, let's just say that I was planning a little trip to the treasury myself. Now shut up, he's heading back."

The noble waved his farewell to the guard and heavy steps echoed in the hallway as he left the vault, walking toward the fisherman and the slave. Nami flattened Usopp against the wall with one hand and held a finger to her lips.

"Be ready to grab the key from the desk, okay? I'll get you the other one," she whispered.

Usopp nodded despite the fact that he had no idea what exactly was being asked of him. An ugly mix of panic and apprehension swelled in his chest and Usopp tried to cast a charm around himself and Nami; something that would prevent the noble from spotting the pair. Ignoring his wishes, his magic flickered and never came to life when he wanted it to.

Usopp sighed resignedly. Sometimes he hoped his illusionary spells weren't so greatly affected by stress.

He was too wrapped up in his thoughts to notice the gleam in Nami's eye as she undid the bun holding her long ginger locks in place and let her hair fall on her shoulders. She got up, uncaring whether or not anyone saw her, and walked over to the man with a shaky stride.

Usopp's brow furrowed in anger and worry, and he barely managed to suppress a round of indignant chiding. The noble would without a doubt call the guards the second he'd see her, what was she thinking!

The nobleman only had the time to let out a gasped curse before the slave stumbled and wrapped her arms around his neck. The man blinked, startled, and it took him a moment to realise that there was in fact a girl in his arms. He shoved Nami off with a flustered frown.

"You aren't supposed to be here, girl. This area is off limits for the likes of you, although I doubt you can understand that much," he drawled, loving the sound of his own voice.

"Oh, is this not the kitchen? Silly me, I must have taken a wrong turn..." Nami hiccupped.

"My god, have you been drinking, too? Stolen grog, I'm sure," the man sneered. "Do you even know where you are?"

Nami smiled coyly. "You got me, _sir_ , I have no idea where I am. Please, tell me where the kitchens are?"

"How much have you drank to get yourself so thoroughly astray? I have never thought someone could get lost inside our home like this" the noble started condescendingly. "I shall call the guards to walk with you. Who knows what you might steal otherwise…"

The redhead pursed her lips and wore the mask of a childish pout. Usopp had to remind himself that Nami was a weather mage instead of one specialised in the art of seduction. As if to prove his point, the redhead pretended to trip over her own feet, and Usopp could've sworn her hand _slipped_ to the man's pocket. His eyes widened with understanding, and he grinned approvingly. They were finally in the same boat.

The noble's mouth hang agape as Nami scrambled back to her feet with overly slow movements, and just stared at him with blank eyes.

"Whoops," she giggled, and her eyes met with Usopp's. She aimed a brief but wicked smirk at the teen, and Usopp knew her well enough to recognise a wordless order when he was given one.

Biting the bullet, he stepped out from the shadows' reach and prayed that his magic would decide to co-operate for this once. He could feel it in this fingertips, prickling and searching for an escape just out of his range. Whenever he as much as thought of a charm it seemed to evade him.

He hoped it would work. He couldn't fail now, when Nami depended on him to finish the job, when Luffy needed his help, and when Ace and Law were inches away from a lifetime on the run or worse. He couldn't afford to let them down.

Thankfully, Usopp felt the illusion wrap him in its embrace, and he could have cried out of the sheer sense of comfort the familiar magic granted him.

With eyes wide as saucers, the noble gasped and grabbed the slave's sleeve to pull her out of Usopp's way. All he could see was an old man clad in silks and jewels with the crest of the royal family stitched and carved into them; _a royal_.

"My Lord," he stammered, taken aback. "Sir, pardon me, I was simply educating this girl about proper conduct around her betters, I-"

Usopp raised one hand and scowled, doing his best to appear painstakingly unimpressed. "Spare me the details. The girl you're manhandling so brusquely is one of mine, and thus mine alone to teach," he said, rather proud of how steady and conceited his words sounded even to his own ears.

The man let go of Nami so fast one could have believed her skin was burning his hands, and lowered his head in a bow. "Forgive my misjudgement, sir. It will not happen again."

"Fortunately for you, I have no time to punish you," Usopp scoffed. He had to stifle an urge to break into a victory dance as cold sweat coated the nobleman's brow. "Now, if you would, I need to get to the vault. My wife insists we need a new wing to the summer castle to house the servants."

"Of course, of course," the man agreed. "Please, my lord, I won't hold you more than this. My apologies."

Usopp shook his head. "Just go, and never bother me with nonsense like this again."

The nobleman didn't need to be told twice. He scrambled to get away from the slave and the temporary royal, undoubtedly hoping that Usopp would deal with the unruly servant girl on his own.

And deal he did.

Usopp cracked a lopsided grin and raised his hand for a triumphant high five. "We really did it! I can't believe you did that, he almost called the guards!"

"I had it under control," Nami said and smirked back, pulling a large key from her apron's front pocket. The noble's key to the vault door. "And you can't say it wasn't effective."

"No, hell, it was super effective," Usopp readily agreed, staring at the key in awe. "I was sure you were actually punch drunk for a moment there."

"Please, all the booze in this place couldn't get me even tipsy, and you know it," Nami said quickly. "Let's get the other key and find that snail now, _my lord_."

"Oh, cut it out. I'm no noble," Usopp dismissed, rubbing the back of his head.

The guard posted to guard the crown's wealth was a woman in her early thirties. She wore a black pantsuit that left little to the imagination, and her long blonde hair was slick against her head. Moreover, there was a large, rusted key hanging from her neck.

Usopp gave her a tight lipped smile. "I must access the vault, so give me my family's key. Make it snappy, too," he said with far more authority than he thought he could ever muster.

The guard peered over her horn rimmed glasses unblinkingly. Usopp's throat suddenly felt an awful lot like sandpaper, and all that came out when he tried to answer was a hitched squeak.

"Please?"

The woman still said nothing, content on merely staring at the faux royal like he was an exotic animal instead a possible prince. She quirked a scrutinous eyebrow. "I've never seen you before, my lord. Are you visiting Dressrosa, by any chance?"

Usopp blanched. The charm concealing his true face was still very much in place, but he couldn't help but wonder if it would crumble under her gaze like it had under Nami's. "Yes, you see, uh... I'm Prince Ali Baba, a distant cousin of the king, but if I can be frank for a moment, I was always the one he looked up to, and-"

The blonde guard rested a hand on the baton hanging from her belt, and Usopp's next words died on his tongue. "I have extensive knowledge of all nobles from here to Dawn Island, and I know for a fact that there is no prince Ali Baba," she said.

Usopp casted a lost look at Nami, pleading for help with barely hidden panic in his eyes. Nami sighed in feigned exasperation and crossed her arms. "Of _course_ you've never heard of him, the likes of you should never learn of his highness' existence. His mere presence should have you on your knees, patrolman."

The blonde tsked disbelievingly. "There is not a noble in all the Seas that I do not have a file of, miss. Now," she said, pushing her glasses back in place. She took the baton from her hip and pointed it at Nami. "Who are you, _really_?"

Usopp tensed his muscles, preparing for a speedy sprint. The illusion spell responded to his uncertainty, and Usopp could already sense it fading away. The magic flickered and fluctuated and could have easily vanished at any given moment, taking his fake royal emblems with it like they'd never been there to begin with.

Usopp felt cold sweat on the tip of his nose and chuckled nervously; he was sure they were done for. And still, Nami purely laughed like the woman's threats were nothing but a minor inconvenience. A joke.

"Why, be my guest, go ahead and shoot. But that act will take your life just as surely as it might take mine," she said, like she was stating a fact, and stepped closer to the woman with a sway to her hips. She put her hand on the baton and pushed, _gently_ , never breaking eye contact with the blonde.

"Then again, I'm sure I could find you a position in his staff, should you aid us now."

She moved closer to the woman, until their lips almost met and the blonde was mesmerised by Nami's scent. The guard was frozen in place by surprise, and her mouth opened to a small, dumbstruck gasp. Usopp was nearly convinced that one might kiss the other.

Instead, Nami smirked dangerously and jammed her Climatact against the woman's temple.

The guard grunted in pain and toppled to the ground, unconscious. Nami wiped her hands against each other and leaned to grab the other key from the blonde's neck. She held it up for Usopp to see, grinning smugly.

"Well, now that that's done with, let's get that damn snail," she said. "Among other things."

Usopp could only nod at that, and he opened the door with one key while Nami turned the other. The vault's door opened with next to no noise, and Usopp heard someone mutter a low, awed curse. It took him a long time to realise he'd been the one speaking.

The royal vault was filled to the brim with jewellery and priced items; sculptures that must have dated back hundreds of years were scattered here and there, embellished with priceless necklaces and diadems.

Nami's eyes gained a glint that was rivalled by naught but the shine and gleam of the treasures inside. She pulled a large backpack seemingly out of thin air and walked up to a pile of golden plates, taking one in her hand. She bit the plate's edge to test it's worth, but she dropped the plate almost instantly. The plate shattered on when it hit the ground, and Nami cursed, dropping the backpack from her hand with a frustrated groan."Dammit!"

Usopp furrowed his brow. As much as he'd loved to explore the vault, too, he could feel the remnants of his magic dwindle and diminish, replaced by a deep fatigue. And he really didn't see how knocking over antique plates was a solution to anything.

"Hurry, Nami!" he snapped, and his voice held an edge to it that earned him a concerned look from Nami.

"Are you okay?" Nami asked. She walked over to him and brushed her fingers comfortingly against the fisherman's shoulder. Usopp frowned.

"Yeah, just peachy. Let's just get the hell out of here, we need that damn snail."

Nami nodded her agreement, getting back on track. "Yeah, it's all fake anyway. Let's get out of here."

They didn't have to search for long before Nami grinned, almost ferally, and pointed at a large glass dome near the far wall. No attempt had been made at hiding it, really; whoever had placed the snail in the vault must have counted on the security measures and the vastness of the space itself to keep potential thieves from finding the recording.

Usopp ran to the snail, and a wide grin split his face as he reached to grab the dome from its place. Nami's hand stopped his on the last possible second.

"Wait," she urged. "You can't just take it without any precaution, dummy. Let me."

She raised the dome by mere millimetres, and dropped it almost instantaneously. The smell of gunpowder filled Usopp's nose, and his eyes widened with surprise.

"It's rigged, isn't it?" he whispered, as if the mere sound of his voice might somehow set off the explosives. Nami nodded, eyes trained on the snail protected by the thick glass.

"Yes, I think so. We can't lift the dome enough to slide the snail under it, and I doubt breaking the glass would work. We'd just get blown to bits."

"How appealing," Usopp muttered. He stepped back from the glass, clenching his teeth to keep them from clattering. "So, that's that then? We can't get the snail? We tried, risked death and injury, but… We can't, right?"

Nami bit her lower lip in deep thought. "There must be a code, or a key to get the dome off without setting off the bomb. We need to find that and then sneak back, but we need to work fast. Someone's bound to find that guard soon."

She turned to leave, but stilled before she even had the time to take the first step. She scowled. "Can you hear that?"

Usopp shook his head. "No. What am I supposed to hear, anyway?"

The redhead said nothing, every muscle and joint taut as a piano wire, ready snap to action any given second. By now Usopp, too, could hear someone moving in the hallway with calculated, slow steps. He reached for his kabuto instinctively, like a reflex, and waited. Only the sound of their heavy breathing broke the air, and the sniper was almost certain that they'd simply imagined the sounds. He almost let himself relax.

The door creaked open.

"Monet," Nami whispered, something akin to apprehension - _fear?-_ saturating the word. Usopp saw a wisp of green only a split second before a wave of freezing cold air slammed into them.

Usopp's breath was knocked straight out of his lungs as he hit the wall with enough force to crack the paint. He slumped to the ground, Nami right next to him, and cracked his eyes open to peer at the person who'd attacked them.

A woman with green hair and a cold glare stared back at him, smiling sweetly. She had frost on her skin and hair, covering her from nearly head to toe, and it didn't take a genius to realise that she was surely an elemental mage; one of the hardest mages to face in a fight if one didn't know the proper protective spells. Usopp groaned. ' _Figures.'_

"What a coincidence," the woman mused, "I did hear a rumour that we might be getting visitors today, but _this_? First Law waltzes back in with that fish, and now there are thieves in the treasury?"

Nami let out a hacking cough and wiped some flakes of cracked paint off her shoulder. She got up, the bag of treasure long forgotten and replaced by her Climatact. She offered Usopp a hand and pulled the teen to his feet.

"Monet," she panted. "How did you know we were here?"

"Well, you weren't exactly being discreet, dear," the mage purred. Usopp backed away from her until his back hit the wall. He raised his slingshot in front of him, trying to add some resemblance of calmness and intimidation into the motion.

"You don't know what you're in for! You're up against Usopp the Great, after all," he trailed off, earning an annoyed glance from both women in the room. "And Nami."

He could've sworn he heard Nami mutter something along the lines of _this fucking idiot._

"Young Master will be happy to hear you have been disposed of," Monet said to no one in particular, and Usopp gasped in astonishment and fear as her arm turned to snow.

The hit was sudden and utterly unanticipated. The teen's head snapped to the side from the sheer force of the impact, and he was left gasping for breath that never seemed to reach his lungs. He only just managed to clamber to his feet when a shard of ice flew past his ear and embedded itself deep into the wall beside him.

Usopp clenched his eyes shut and drew in a deep, pained breath. His ribs ached something fierce and dark spots were already dancing in his vision, but he fought to keep unconsciousness from claiming him. He heard Nami cry out as the noblewoman's magic hit her shin, and the sniper coughed as the gust of wind the redhead had summoned blew dust in his face. He raised his head.

Nami leaned heavily on her Climatact; her shoulder was bleeding profusely and her ankle was most likely twisted to the point of being practically useless. Monet was a bit ruffled by Nami's retaliation, but otherwise unscathed, just as Usopp had been expecting her to be.

Fighting a trained elemental mage with proper defensive skills was demanding, but not impossible. Fighting one without them was fatal.

The ice mage laughed, mirthful and menacing all the same. "Give up now, and I will tell the king of your valour, or I might even let you live. I'm yet to decide."

"You can't think this is right! Your _king_ , if he can be called one, has committed crimes and is trying to cover them up with the blood of our friends," Nami shouted back. She was forced to fall into a crouch as a spear of ice careened through the air right through the spot her head had been no more than a second ago.

Usopp realised his hands were moving only after he had already aimed and fired. The rafter above Monet was set on fire instantaneously, crumbling down before the mage had the time to escape it. Monet could only let out a furious and surprised cry as she was covered with ash and burning lumber.

Ice and snow began to form around the piece of charred wood that trapped the noblewoman, and the temperature in the room dropped to freezing. The ice mage was far from beaten.

The air crackled with magic dangerously, and Usopp's grey eyes met with Nami's brown, and the redhead aimed a meaningful glance at the rigged glass dome.

'Get the snail, Usopp.'

Usopp swallowed hard, and his mouth opened with a silent litany of protests. _'You're joking! That will blow us all to kingdom come!'_

Nami scowled, but her eyes flashed with understanding and fear before the moment of doubt was drowned by determination. She gnawed at her lower lip and nodded resolutely.

' _Do it.'_

Usopp sent a prayer to every deity he'd ever heard of, turned his slingshot at the snail, and _fired._

* * *

 **In the trophy room with Law, Luffy and Ace:**

The explosion reverberated throughout the castle, nearly knocking Law off his feet. The mermen leaned on their elbows -and each other, in Luffy's case- for support, and Doflamingo was still hidden from sight by his army of guards, clamouring to convince the king to escape before the castle would crumble.

"What the hell are those two doing?!" Law shouted over the sound of the water pouring in from the cracks. "They were supposed to steal the snail, not blow the place up!"

The water was everywhere. It was seeping through the cracks that kept forming in the walls and the ceiling, slowly filling the trophy room and carrying pieces of broken wood on its waves. Some pieces of rock hit Law's skin, leaving bloody scrapes in their wake. The mermen weren't fairing much better.

Luffy laughed wildly, never minding the pandemonium, and pushed himself over to the human. The inpour was already up to Law's knees, and the merman steadied the human as a larger rush of water broke through one of the cracks. "I dunno, but this is good! I can kick that guy's ass now!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Ace chided, eyes trained on the small army of panicked guards. "First and foremost we need to find a way out of this mess. We can't feed that fucker a knuckle sandwich just yet."

"Huh?" Luffy voiced, tilting his head to the side. "Why would I give anyone my sandwich? It's mine!"

"It's a turn of phrase, moron. What I meant was that humans are fragile little things, and Trafalgar here won't last a minute if the walls go down altogether and the place is flooded," Ace griped. Law highly doubted that the merman was actually concerned for his survival.

"No need to worry about me, Ace-ya," he retorted. "After all, you _are_ the one we're here to rescue."

The merman and human glared at each other, seconds away from a full blown brawl. Luffy, noticing the tension, giggled cheerfully and pushed the two apart. "It's okay, Torao, I won't let you drown!" he promised, grinning widely. "You two figure out how we'll get out of here and I'll find that feather dude!"

"No way," Ace cut in, taking the words right out of Law's mouth. " _You_ find an exit with your human."

"Shove it," Law snapped. "And both of you, focus, please."

The ceiling cracked again, threatening to let the ocean around them burst in. Ace scowled. "Well, this is only good for me and you, Lu. We can swim back home from here."

Luffy frowned at the notion, opening his mouth to a protest.

Without warning, a part of the wall by the door Law had destroyed not ten minutes ago strained under the weight of something nigh invisible, and pieces off it fell into the waves beneath with sizeable splashes.

The wall broke down, taking the doorframe with it and leaving a huge hole in the stone in its wake. The guards who had been huddling nearby the now demolished entrance backed away, casting wary glances at each other. Some ran.

The king stepped out of the hole in the wall. He brushed himself off and smiled, licking his lips. "About time they tucked tail. I have more important matters to focus on than some silly little bomb," he said.

"If you're still hell bent on dragging me away from Lawsie now that he's right here, then leave while you still have legs to run with!"

The guards didn't need to be told twice.

Law grimaced his discontent. Beside him Ace moved closer to his younger brother, placing Luffy partly behind his back. Luffy narrowed his eyes but said nothing.

"I almost hoped that you'd drowned when we didn't see you for a bit," Ace said bitterly, glaring daggers at the king. "Too bad."

"Sorry to disappoint." Doflamingo's voice was colder than the ocean water, and hearing it made Law's skin crawl. He laughed, low and veracious. "That sure was unexpected, but necessary, I suppose. Monet must have been unsuccessful in her task."

"What do you mean?" Luffy spat out, balling his hands into white knuckled fists.

"Well, I think it's safe to say your friends failed to steal that recording. Wouldn't you agree, fishling?" Doflamingo hummed, flashing a bloodthirsty grin at Luffy. He nodded his head toward the ceiling. "Hate to break it to you, but I doubt anyone made it out of that."

"No!" Luffy yelled in shock and anger. Ace put his arm on Luffy's shoulder in an attempt to ground the younger, and the teen took a deep but sharp breath. Somehow he sounded that much more threatening when he lowered his voice. "Usopp and Nami can't be dead! You're lying!"

"Afraid not," the king mused, clearly enjoying the despair drawn on Luffy's face. "No one could have survived an explosion like that up close and personal."

Luffy's face drained of colour, wrath etched into every line of his enraged scowl. "That's a _lie!_ They are my _friends_ , they won't die. If they're…" he trailed off, lips curling to reveal a pair of sharp canines. "I'll make you pay for that."

It was a promise, not a threat.

Doflamingo chuckled condescendingly. "A real fighter fish, aren't you? But it's not me who you should be blaming. After all, one shouldn't send sheep to do a wolf's job."

The teen was beyond angry. He was livid, and seemed all too eager to tear the King's heart out of his chest. Ace met eyes with Law, and took a firm grip of his brother's shoulder. "Luffy."

His voice didn't quite reach the calming effect Ace had been hoping for, and Luffy simply yanked himself free without delay.

"He killed them! I won't forgive him!" Luffy snarled. Law shared his sentiments, and he didn't move to stop the merman as he lunged at the king.

Ace shouted something that sounded like _stop, Luffy_ in Law's ears, but the water's thundering ate up most of the words spoken. It was nearly overflowing from the cracks, and the walls groaned under the ocean's weight.

The water was already up to Law's waist, and they were running out of time.

Doflamingo threw Luffy off him, sporting a bloody nose. "You fucking brat!"

Luffy spun in the water, dodging his brother. He had a deep gash above his eye, mirroring the crescent scar on his cheek, but was otherwise unharmed.

Ace growled and grabbed Luffy's tail. "Focus, Lu! You can gut him later, but right now we need to get out of here!"

"Let go, Ace!" Luffy barked back. He twisted his tail out of his brother's reach, and Ace muttered a curse before he followed Luffy to the fray.

Law's hand reached for Kikoku out of instinct, but found nothing but air. He cursed, realising how completely defenceless he was. His magic was depleted, strained from the overexertion after years of inertia, and his weapon was still wherever Monet had stashed it.

The two merman were thrown back by Doflamingo's strings, panting heavily. The king sneered at the cuts and bruises his magic had left on their skin, and let out a menacing laugh that only served to fuel Luffy's rage.

Luffy spat out some blood from his newly split lip, face marred with anger. He threw his fist back and aimed it at the king's jaw, but Doflamingo blocked the attack effortlessly. Ace ducked underwater, and then he was pushing Doflamingo down, forcing the king into a bow in front of the three wanted men.

Luffy's tail hit the man's midriff with enough intensity to force the air out of Doflamingo's lungs.

The king slumped down, and didn't get up again.

"Not so tough when it comes down to it, are you," Ace muttered. He pulled Lu away from Doflamingo, eyes trained on the king's unmoving figure. "C'mon, we gotta go."

Luffy nodded and let himself be dragged away from the fallen monarch. His brows were knitted together with disbelief, and Law, too, quirked an eyebrow at the scene; he knew the king wasn't this easy to take down. He saw Doflamingo's hand twitch.

"Get away from him!" Law heard himself shout, but it was too late.

Luffy shrieked as strings wrapped around him and lifted him out of the water. Doflamingo raised his head, a bloodied smirk stretching his lips.

"You didn't honestly think it would be that easy?" he purred. "Some ragtag rookies against me? The ruler of this country? Don't make me laugh."

The merman wriggled in the king's hold, looking tiny in comparison. Luffy gritted out an infuriated curse, but he was practically paralyzed in Doflamingo's net of strings.

Ace tried to pull his brother down, but was soon slammed against a wall by the king's ability. He left a trail of blood in his wake, and Luffy trashed against the strings in earnest, screaming for Doflamingo to let him go. But he was fighting a losing fight against an invisible and seemingly insurmountable power, and his murderous shouts fell on deaf ears with the king.

Law heard him, however, and he'd had enough. He had been helpless enough for the past days he'd spent on the run, and he'd seen too many suffer in the hands of king in the years past.

He'd cherished the bone to pick too long to toss it away now.

So he curled his fingers, feeling the power within him -the magic he'd once so despised- raise its weary head sluggishly. He coerced it into action with nothing but rage and spite to fuel it. "Room."

The merman hanging from the strings was replaced by rocks, and Luffy hit the water with a mighty splash. He gasped for air, holding his side. "Thanks, Torao," he coughed.

"No problem."

Instantly returning the favour, Luffy pushed Law out of the way as a large piece of the ceiling came loose and fell down, sending water flying every each way.

The fallen piece of the ceiling had most likely been the last line of defence that'd been keeping the room from submerging completely, and now that it was gone, the surrounding ocean started pouring through the cracks and holes in the walls with increasing intensity. Some hit Law's chest and eyes, and he wiped the salt water off his face with his sleeve.

"We need to get out of here, Luffy!" Ace shouted. "We can get back into the main wing and swim out, but we have to go now before this thing collapses!"

"Not yet!" Luffy yelled back. "Mingo's going to disappear if we leave him be!"

"Fufufu, but you can't hope to beat me, right? Surely not even you are that delusional!" Doflamingo laughed. "Hatchlings like you have no hope of surviving a clash with the most feared mage in all of Dressrosa."

"I'm aware, and rest assured that I never even entertained such a notion," Law confessed, crossing his arms. The king smirked at Law, his sunglasses reflecting the waves' motion ominously.

"You know, I never pegged you for a quitter, Lawsie."

"Yeah, just as I never pegged you for a traitor," Law spat back.

"A traitor? To what, my own kingdom?" Doflamingo asked with feigned surprise. "That's ridiculous. All I've done is look forward and seek new grounds and new resources. The merfolk have all that, ripe for the taking."

Law smirked, pointedly ignoring the blood that was splattered on his face and frame. "Actually, I'm not even hoping to win this. If you and I both meet our makers here, I would be fine with that."

"Torao, what are you talking about?" Luffy asked, struggling to get his voice heard over the roaring tides. Law casted a glance at the wall behind the merman, his gaze heavily calculating. The structure would undoubtedly fall apart in a matter of minutes.

"You need to go, Luffy-ya. Take your brother and leave."

"What are you talking about, Torao!" Luffy asked incredulously. "I promised I wouldn't let you drown, so I won't!"

Law had to tear his eyes away from the dumbfounded teen, lest he falter in his resolve. He had to force his lips to form the words. "Thank you. But this was never your problem to begin with. You have rescued Ace-ya, as planned. Now go."

He'd just gotten the words out when the booming sound of the walls finally coming down left them all as good as deaf, and chaos took over.

Law was thrown off his feet, manhandled by the torrents and knocked underwater for the briefest of moments. Luffy's arms, strong and unyielding, caught hold of his arm and pulled him back up, and Law was treated to a lovely sense of deja vu as his head broke the surface and he gasped for air.

This was one habit he was all too eager to break.

Luffy pulled him away, swimming against the current. The water was in Law's eyes, in his nose and his ears. It made its way to the cuts that riddled his skin from the falling shrapnel, and the sting centred Law. He wrenched his eyes open.

Doflamingo was thrown against a wall by the forces of nature and, even with his strength, he was nothing but an insect against the ocean's might.

Acting on impulse more than coherent thought, Law extended a hand to the person who had single handedly ruined his reputation and his home, and who had cost him so much already. The man who had tortured Luffy -the closest thing he had to a friend anymore- and taken Usopp and Nami's lives. Doflamingo had corrupted Monet and turned her against Law. He had tried to kill Cora.

And yet, Law held out his hand.

Whether it was to take him with them or join him...

He hadn't a clue. He was just tired.

He was tired of living on the run, of hiding his face and his name from the onlookers, and from living in constant fear that someone he loved might die without warning any given day. He was drained, exhausted. He just wanted Cora to be okay. If Cora would be okay, then so would Dressrosa.

His hand swiped through the murky water, and Law forced his eyes open in search of anything; a wisp of pink feathers or a blond head.

A strong current threw both Law and Luffy against the stone wall, and the merman's hold loosened marginally as he fought against the tides. The impact robbed the air from the human's lungs, and Law inhaled instinctively. The water surged into his mouth and throat, and dark spots danced in his eyes.

His hand passed through emptiness, grasping nothing.


	14. Drowning Lessons

Law's lungs burned.

The castle was falling apart around them, and pieces of the South wing's walls plummeted to the ocean bottom left and right. Luffy somehow managed to evade every one of them, but the sharp twists and turns left Law drifting in and out of consciousness.

The water was moulding Law like clay. The torrents fought their hardest to try and pry him from Luffy's hold, but the merman had Law in a death grip that all but squeezed the air from his lungs. Every cell in his body cried for oxygen, and each passing second he was forced to hold his breath went by slower than the last. His eyes were clenched shut tight enough to hurt but not tight enough to keep the salt water from wiggling its way inside.

Bubbles escaped Law's mouth as Luffy yanked him upward, joining small trails of blood that already followed the merman and his charge.

Law wasn't sure when they'd broken surface, but one moment he was struggling to remain conscious, and the next he was gasping for air with large, desperate gulps.

Freezing cold droplets of spindrift hit his face, and the straw from Luffy's hat brushed against his skin. Law could hear voices -distant and indistinct- but he couldn't focus on them; everything was blur of motion and emotion that ultimately faded into white noise.

He couldn't get past the feeling that he was still drowning, still trapped and bound and suffocating. He needed to get out, to get away from the water, away from the cold, away from the castle and the king… Law just needed to _breathe._ The frigid water felt like frozen fire against his skin.

An insistent, wet finger poked his cheek. "Torao? Are you okay?"

The merman's words were tinged with concern and fatigue. Law wanted to say something like _yes, I'm fine, quit hovering,_ but his voice was locked away behind a lump in his throat. Luffy must have been trying to coax an answer out of him for some time, because the finger was soon back and poking at Law's closed eye.

"Answer me. You're fine, right?"

It wasn't a question as much as it was a demand this time around.

Law fought to get past the haze of fatigue and numbness that clouded his mind, and eventually managed to aim an annoyed look at the younger. "I feel fantastic, thanks."

He cracked an eye open and saw Luffy staring back at him with unblinking eyes that were far too close for comfort. Law realised absently that he was laying on something firm and soft, and the setting sun's rays were slowly ebbing away at the goose bumps that riddled his cold skin.

The healer blinked the water out of his eyes, hoping to regain some focus.

"Sand?" he mumbled, mostly to himself.

Luffy dug his nails into the wet soil. "Yeah, of course it's sand. What else?"

"Give the guy a break, Lu. He can't exactly breathe underwater."

"Fair point."

Gold and red flashed in Law's peripheral vision, and the healer turned his head to the side with far too much effort. Ace sat near the water's edge, his tail flicking back and forth in the water. He was staring at something intently, brow furrowed and lips stretched into a scowl.

Law followed his line of sight to the ruins of the palace of Dressrosa.

The South wing, where the vault and the trophy rooms had been in, had crumbled to the ground until nearly nothing but flames and despair remained. The servants and the slaves who'd made it out were scrambling to save the many still trapped inside, and Law could hear their screams and commands as clearly as he could hear his own heartbeat thrumming in his ears.

He supposed he should feel happy or satisfied to have seen the ocean swallow the trophy room whole, washing away any signs of it ever existing along with the man who'd tried to kill Cora. But in the end, it had been nothing short of anticlimactic.

As much as Law hated the man's guts, the king had practically raised him with Cora, and now that the man he'd wished dead for more times he could count was undoubtedly gone... Law didn't know what to think. He just felt empty. In any case, it was pointless to dwell on the what ifs and could have beens. Law had seen the South wing's foundations collapse, taking the man and his plans into the abyss with it. He could only hope to deal with the present.

"They can't be dead..." Luffy mumbled next to him, derailing Law's train of thought. The merman's voice was tentative and uncertain; like he was testing the words on his tongue instead of stating a fact.

Law drove his fingernails into his palms until he was pretty sure they broke skin. He hadn't noticed it before, but Luffy's eyes were red rimmed and puffy, and his nose was running. Luffy's tail was twitching anxiously, and he had a hand on his chest, idly scratching at the starburst scar right above his heart. Law doubted Luffy even noticed he was doing it. Overall, Luffy seemed unnaturally small, less like the invincible brat Law was used to and more like a lost child.

Law rode out a swell of anguish and guilt in silence. He should never have agreed to let Usopp and Nami get the snail. They had only been trying to help, and now they were gone, and it was all his fault. He was such a fuck up.

Objectively speaking, Law supposed that their mission could be counted as a success. They had gotten Ace out of the cell safely, and the snail was out of the king's reach once more. But now the wind was permeated with the smell of smoke and smoulder, and Law wasn't feeling too triumphant. None of them were.

"I'm sorry," Law choked out, but the words rang hollow even in his own ears. He patted Luffy's shoulder numbly, and the merman leaned into the touch even as a distraught sob wracked his entire body. "I'm so fucking sorry."

Ace wrapped an arm around his brother and pulled him close. Feeling like he was somehow intruding in their grief, Law hid his face in hands that had death itself inked on them. He didn't need to see the merman's anguish when it was already so tangible.

Ace huffed. "Don't say you're sorry, Trafalgar," he said, jaw set and brow furrowed. He was clearly trying to appear unshaken, but still couldn't quite keep his own pain from tainting the words. His hold on Luffy's shoulder tightened in the slightest. "It's not your fault the damn castle blew up."

"I just… I should have kept them safe," Luffy said hopelessly. "I wasn't strong enough. They were trying to help get Ace free, and now they're -"

Ace bonked his brother firmly on his head. "Don't say stupid things like that. Our friends are fighters, and they're strong. We can't write them off without making sure."

Luffy tried to say something, but only wound up swallowing his tears.

Ace offered him an encouraging smirk. "C'mon, Lu. Aren't you the one always bragging about how tough Usopp is? A brave warrior of the seas and all that? Or how smart Nami is, tricking all those nobles?"

Luffy hiccupped, wiping his eyes on his arm. His face lit up with a small grin. "Y-yeah. They're the strongest!" The grin widened and Luffy all but tackled his brother into a hug.

"They're not dead, they're can't be! We gotta go find them Acey!"

"Of course we will, doof," Ace chuckled and pushed Luffy back onto the sandy shore. The teen rolled his way back to the waterline, and he was fast to dip under water in a flash of red. Ace followed Luffy with his gaze for a passing moment before turning back to Law, the smile that had been playing on his lips replaced by a stern glare.

"Trafalgar?"

Law turned to look at the merman blearily. His throat felt too dry for words. "What?"

"Listen, I get that you're sick and tired of this all," Ace said. "Don't try to hide it, it's written all over your face."

Law scowled. "What's your point?"

Ace frowned and tilted his head toward the castle. "We'll be back soon, with or without Usopp and Nami, so if you're going to leave, do it now. Because if you make Luffy think you have his back, just to desert it... I won't forgive you."

Completely blindsided, Law could only blink. He mustered something akin to a smirk. "Where would I go?" he joked half-heartedly. "Luffy-ya would just hunt me down."

The merman seemed unimpressed, and Law sighed. "I'll be here when you get back. Just go."

Ace nodded and pushed himself to the shoreline, ready to dive after Luffy. Law coughed in his hand and scowled at the speckles of red that painted his palm afterwards. However, the cough must have dislodged the lump in his throat, because Law's lips began moving on their own accord.

"Wait."

Ace turned to look at the healer over his shoulder impatiently. His cold stare almost made Law want to shut his mouth before Ace would punch his teeth in, but his lips were already in motion.

"If you... If you see a woman with green hair in there, then please, bring her too. She's a friend," Law said. The word left his tongue with surprising ease considering that his 'friend' had sold him out only the day before.

But the girl Law had spent his teenage years with, the one who'd kept him company when he'd pulled all-nighters studying, the one who'd kept him sane after Cora had been attacked… She was also the one who'd put Luffy's friends in peril, and had possibly taken Nami and Usopp's lives.

Law realised that he was staring at Ace with his mouth hanging agape, too caught up on his own head to notice the merman's growing ire. He blanched. "She's a friend, kind of. She was probably the one to attack your friends, so I understand if you decline, but she's a good person."

Ace didn't say anything for a while, and the seconds of heavy silence seemed to stretch onto eternities. Law felt cold sweat gathering on his brow. After at least thirty eternities had passed, Ace sighed and shook his head. He aimed a torn glance at the castle and the younger merman who was already swimming toward it.

"Luffy wouldn't want anyone to die. I'll bring her back if we find anyone with green hair."

Law gave his thanks, and then Ace was below the surface with a flick of his copper tail, splitting the water like an arrow through air as he swam after Luffy, and Law could only watch him go.

But Ace's words lingered.

He was right; Law felt fatigue dragging him down, and his eyelids became heavier and heavier with each blink. He was tired, and not just in need of a good night's sleep. He needed time to think, time to withdraw and to process everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours.

Law wasn't sure how much time had passed before he heard gravel crunching under wheels, but when he turned his head to look behind him, he saw a small caravan of carriages filled with people escaping the aftermath of the explosion. One of the wagons stopped and a door creaked open.

"Hey, kid!" someone called to him. "Do you need help? We're taking our injured to the healers in the city, if you want to join us."

Law didn't know what to say. He felt hollow, robbed of words, and he didn't know what to do. And he _hated_ it.

He could accept the strangers' invitation, step into that warm carriage and get out of the wind that felt freezing against his wet skin. He could smile politely and introduce himself with a fake name, and he could get away. He could wait for the vanguard to reach the city and _keep_ going until he would reach an island where no one had ever even heard of the name Donquixote.

"Buddy, you coming?"

Law gave his answer. The carriage drove away, and the people inside didn't look back as they kept going towards the city. Law was left sitting on the cold sand, wondering if he'd made the right decision.

On one hand, he had _wanted_ to get in and leave the mess that was Dressrosa in his dust. But he couldn't, not when that would mean leaving Luffy and Cora behind as well.

It was comical to think that two months ago Law would have gladly gotten as far away from Luffy as possible, and now Luffy was half the reason he was staying.

For better or worse, Law didn't have the time to dwell on that. The waves carried Luffy's voice to him long before the merman actually made it back to the shore, and the healer didn't have the luxury of denying a patient for the sake of needless wallowing.

"Oi, Torao! We found them!"

Luffy waved at Law, but the weight of the two humans he was carrying forced him to quickly pull back his hand and flail for balance, lest he'd let Usopp and Nami slip underwater.

Law rolled his eyes at the merman's struggle and scrambled to his feet with far less grace than he cared to admit. He actively ignored the ache of stiff joints and drying salt water in the scrapes and cuts that littered his skin as he sauntered to meet the search party and helped pull the three of them to dry land.

Luffy laid Usopp down gently, with far more care and caution than Law had ever witnessed from the impulsive teen. He rested Nami on the ground next to Usopp, and hunched over them, wanting to heal them but not knowing how. He brushed some stray locks of Usopp's hair off his eyes helplessly, and let out a shuddering breath that bordered on a sob.

"They're going to be okay, right?" Luffy asked, and Law's breath hitched in his throat.

He wanted to reassure the merman, to tell him that humans weren't _that_ easily broken and killed, but he was tongue tied. He couldn't make a promise he couldn't keep.

Instead, Law rolled up what was left of his sleeves and got to work with a grim scowl. His magic was overexerted, and coaxing it into action was nothing short of painful, but the healer managed. Law's brow furrowed with concentration as he did what he could to mend the two humans' injuries from inside out.

The sniper's hair was scorched and his skin ashen; his body burnt and bruised beyond recognition. His chest rose and fell with shallow, rasping breaths that sounded too desperate for Law's liking. Nami hadn't made it out without her own fair share of injuries, either. The nearly black ash that covered her face was a sharp contrast to the ghostly white her normally so tanned skin was now reduced to, and there was a cut in her hairline that had painted half her face with dark blood.

He was too deep in his own bubble to hear Luffy greet his brother and help Ace drag himself ashore. Law didn't raise his head until the colour had returned to Nami's skin and Usopp was neatly bandaged from head to toe and when he did, he nearly forgot what he was doing altogether.

Ace held three people in his arms; two slaves who'd been trapped in the collision, and someone with green hair and torn clothes.

"Monet," Law breathed, low enough for no one but him and the mermen to hear. He didn't know how he was supposed to react. For all intents and purposes, Monet had betrayed him. She had cost them the snail and attacked Nami and Usopp, leaving them somewhere in the limbo between life and death. She was an enemy now.

But Law didn't want her to die.

He moved without thinking as he sat down beside Monet and tore off a piece of his coat to wipe away some of the grime that coated her skin.

The noblewoman wasn't nearly as badly off as Usopp and Nami had been, and Law suspected she'd been somehow shielded from the worst of the explosion. There were bruises on her skin and a shard of wood had lodged itself in her shoulder, but it was nothing some bandages and rest wouldn't take care of.

Monet stirred at the touch, and Law's hand almost faltered from the cut he was cleaning. He told himself that he'd just been seeing things; that she wasn't moving, that she wasn't awake even as the green eyes opened to watch him drowsily. He didn't know what to say, so he kept working.

"L-Law?"

His whispered name was like a kick to the gut for Law, and he froze in his tracks. Slowly, he raised his gaze from the cut on Monet's shoulder to look back at his friend.

"Law?"

Law cleared his throat. "Y-yeah. How are you feeling?"

Monet coughed. "Terrible. But I'm sure it's nothing compared to how I look."

"This is hardly the time to worry about appearances," Law said back. A part of him wanted to snarl cold words at her and ask her why she'd stabbed him in the back, but he knew the answers without asking. Falling back to banter was easy, and for a moment, Law almost fooled himself into forgetting that he'd thought Monet was dead only moments ago.

Monet's answering chuckle turned into a groan as the small movement was enough to jostle her injured shoulder. "I knew you would say that."

Law said nothing. He took out the last of the splinters from the wound and bandaged it in an uncomfortable silence while Monet waited.

"I guess you've come to your senses," Monet said. "Where's the Young Master? He isn't injured, is he? Those rat-face thieves will pay if that explosion has harmed him in any way, how dare they -"

"He's dead."

Monet's voice caught in her throat, and she stared at Law incredulously. "What?"

"Doflamingo drowned. He got caught in the explosion and died," Law revealed tonelessly.

"I-I don't believe you," Monet stuttered. "You left him behind?"

"I didn't have much of a choice, Luffy-ya pulled me out," Law said.

"So you're still all chummy with that _fish_?" Monet spat out, nearly seething. "Dressrosa could have been something great, Law, if you hadn't overreacted like this -"

"Overreacted?!" Law hissed. "After everything Cora-san has done for you, that's rich."

Monet gawked at Law with wounded hurt and anger. "After everything the King has done for you, Law, so is turning your back on him. _Traitor_."

Law bit back the cruel words that were already waiting on his tongue, and simply shook his head sadly. "Goodbye, Monet-ya."

He walked away, feeling Monet's eyes glued on his back.

Law sighed and took a glance around him. Ace and Luffy had already swam back, determined to save as many people as they could from the collapsing castle, and one by one, the beach was being filled with survivors; some injured, some unharmed, but all shaken and dishevelled. Law was relieved to see some of the castle's healers among the rescued. He wouldn't be of much help after using so much of his magic in a short time.

The sun was setting by the time Luffy got back to the shore and declared that they'd gotten the last survivors out of the wreckage. He had three children with him this time, one in his arms and two sitting on his back, and Law found a much needed distraction in their smiles and joyous laughter.

Luffy grinned back at the kids despite his obvious exhaustion, and made them laugh by splashing some water with his tail. His audience members could barely contain their joy, but their voices were drowned under the commotion on the coastline.

Law casted a sideways glance at Monet, but she wouldn't meet his eyes. Law walked over to Luffy, turning his back on his former friend. He helped Luffy climb up to sit near Usopp and Nami, and Luffy offered him a grateful grin that was soon wiped away with worry. Law sat beside the merman and pulled his knees to his chest.

"I guess it was a bit stupid of me to think they were dead," Luffy said, forcing out a laugh. "But they're going to be okay now, right? You fixed them."

Law looked at his patients appraisingly. Seeing that Nami was moving restlessly in her sleep and Usopp was breathing lighter and lighter by the minute, the healer turned back to look at the merman, smiling with his eyes. "Yeah, Luffy-ya. They should be just fine, but you have to be patient. Give them time."

Luffy brightened at the promise and a huge grin split his face. "How much time?"

"A couple of weeks, give or take," Law hazarded an educated guess. "Maybe less."

"But if I gave them some meat, would they be better quicker?"

"No. Humans don't work like that. Let them rest now," Law said, rubbing the bridge of his nose exasperatedly.

"Oh, okay."

Luffy reached out to touch Usopp's cheek, but he stopped himself before his knuckles ever had the time to brush against the sniper's skin. He turned to Law with uncertainty written all over his face, asking for permission.

Law nodded and watched as Luffy took Nami's head in his arms -gingerly, like he was afraid the slightest touch might break her- and wiped away some more dirt from her temple. He took Usopp's hand in his and drew circles on the palm with his thumb, and Law didn't think he'd ever seen the boy look so focused and concerned.

"I knew some silly little explosion wouldn't kill them," Luffy said after a while. "Nami has no time for dying before her map is done, and Usopp needs to become a brave warrior of the seas and find his dad. They wouldn't lose before that."

"You can't control that, Luffy-ya," Law said, but a small smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth nonetheless.

Luffy laughed. "Never said I could. I can't control their lives, Torao, that's stupid."

"Sure is," Law replied absently, following Luffy's hands with his eyes as the merman kept fixing the bandages on Usopp's injuries and pulling Nami's coat tighter around her to keep her warm. Luffy's fingers -his whole body, really- were covered in scrapes and bruises, some earned from their hasty escape and some souvenirs from his brief fight with Doflamingo.

"Do you want me to treat those, Luffy-ya?"

Luffy looked at his disheveled body, taking in the cuts and gashes, but he simply snickered at the sight. "You've been patching me up so much lately, Torao, this is becoming a habit."

"Let's try to make this the last time," Law muttered, already searching his pockets for some leftover gauze. Luffy put Nami back on the ground reluctantly, and allowed Law to cover the worst of his injuries while talking about some cool thing Ace had found in the wreckage.

Not long after they were done and Luffy was patched up, Ace broke the surface and waved at Luffy, holding a fish in each of his hands. The older merman threw one to Luffy, who ate it whole in a matter of seconds. Ace joined them, his coal eyes sweeping over the encampment or survivors on the beach and lingering on Usopp and Nami until they finally landed on Law. He offered the human a lopsided smile.

"I have to be honest with you, I didn't think you'd be here."

Law simply rolled his eyes, smirking at Ace. "I said I would be, didn't I?"

"Yeah, I suppose you did," Ace chuckled. "Thank you for helping them."

"No problem," Law said, taken aback by the sincerity of Ace's words. "It's the least I could do."

Ace pulled his brother close, brushing his tail against the other's affectionately. Luffy snickered and squirmed, out of principle more than anything else, but soon rested his head against Ace's chest. "Hey, Ace?"

Ace hummed noncommittally. "What?"

"I'm still hungry."

"Of course you are. This is why Thatch calls you a black hole, you know."

"Hey! You eat just as much as me, and you know what Gramps says…"

"' _If you're hungry, eat'_ yeah, but that old fart has no idea what he's talking about half the time."

"Hm, I guess that's true too, shishishi!"

Law listened to the bickering that followed with half an ear and a shadow of a smirk, but he wasn't paying much attention. The world seemed to be spinning around him, and his eyelids kept fluttering no matter how he tried to stay awake. They hadn't eaten since the morning, after all, and Law was starting to pay the consequences of travelling without stopping for proper rest or meals.

Law closed his eyes.


	15. Tall Tails

Law never noticed he'd dozed off with the mermen's chatter as his lullaby, but when he next opened his eyes, the sun had set. Luffy's cardigan was serving as a makeshift pillow under his head, and someone had covered Law with his own coat while he'd slept. Rubbing the back of his head in bewilderment, Law pushed himself up to his feet.

The stretch of beach was nearly vacant save for a few fellow sleeping survivors, but Law could hear laughter and singing down the hill.

Law was about to walk over to join the others and search for Luffy when the pillars of smoke that were still rising from the collapsed castle caught his eye. He couldn't see the entire castle from his spot on the beach, and the Northern wing was completely hidden by the wreckage and the remnants of the main wing, rendering its fate a mystery to Law.

And Cora was in the Northern wing.

Law couldn't believe that he'd forgotten for even a minute that his adoptive father -who was in a coma and left _vulnerable-_ had been in the castle when it had come tumbling down. He rushed toward the castle, casting only a quick glance over his shoulder at the beach. The night wind was carrying the sounds of celebrating and the smell of something roasting to Law, and he smiled in passing, thinking that Luffy would probably leave him nothing to eat.

Law picked up the pace. He couldn't get to Cora fast enough.

He reached the castle in no time, walking amidst the fallen stones and broken archways. He passed the pond, and Law smirked seeing that the walls of Luffy's former prison had been crushed on impact, leaving behind nothing to keep anyone captive with.

The walk to the North wing and Cora's room had never felt longer, giving fear and apprehension plenty of time to take root in Law's mind. People passed him by; healers heading to the beach to help out and guards trying to regain order. Law didn't spare them a second glance.

Soon enough, Law stood in front of the door to Cora's room, his hand already resting on the knob. The northern parts of the castle were completely untouched by the explosion, and there was no reason to suspect that he'd find anything but his adoptive father inside, unharmed by the explosion.

And still, Law couldn't bring himself to twist the knob.

Over the course of the past two months, he had been to the infirmary more times than he could count. He'd been there to change Cora's bandages, to give him the medications needed to keep him asleep and alive, and to wipe his brow when the fever from the infection riddling the blond's wound nearly got the best of him. He'd dreaded the idea that one morning he'd find a corpse in that bed, and that he'd have to bury Cora without a goodbye.

But what if...

"You do realise I can hear you fussing there, right?"

Law was sure his heart skipped a beat or five. There was no way he'd heard that voice, not when he was so tired, and the day had been so jam-packed with adrenaline and emotion. Law was drained. He'd probably just imagined it.

"Aren't you going to come inside, Law?"

Conflicting emotions spun through his head without warrant, and Law could hardly believe his ears. Was that really Cora?

He opened the door, struggling to hide how badly his hands were trembling.

Cora sat in his bed, grinning and holding his arms out for Law, inviting him to a hug. He looked tired and pale, but he was breathing and _smiling and alive and_ … Law could only stare. There was so much he needed to say and to get off his chest, but the words got caught in his throat.

He didn't notice he was walking -running- to Cora until he was already hugging the blond and hiding his head into the crook of Cora's neck.

"I missed you too," Cora murmured, hugging him so tight it almost hurt, and Law had to fight back a sob. _Oh god,_ how he had missed him, missed _this_. Feeling the warmth of Cora's skin and hearing his voice made Law feel like he could finally breathe again, and his lips twitched into a reflexive, relieved smile.

Law broke the embrace and wiped his eyes to his palm. He looked at Cora, making note of how tidy the wound on his chest was despite his absence; someone had been taking care of him on Law's behalf. All the while, Cora simply smiled back at him, giving his adoptive son time to wrap his head around the fact that he was awake at last.

"I thought you wouldn't wake up," Law admitted with a whisper, still staring at the bandages wrapped around Cora's torso. "I thought you were going to die! Why would you let that bastard do this to you? Why didn't you fight back?"

Cora chuckled into his ear. "It's okay, Law, you don't have to worry about it anymore."

"You can't say that when you're sitting here covered in fucking bandages," Law said, and the sharpness of his tone stole the smile from Cora's lips. The older adopted a look of patient understanding, and Law sat on the bed, waiting.

"You see, that night…" Cora started. "That night, I went to see Doffy, to talk with him about that merman. I knew he'd been itching to find a reason to spark a war with the merfolk, and that boy being gifted to him was just that."

"So you went to him, and he attacked you?" Law said bitterly.

"Not exactly," Cora corrected. "That night, I couldn't shake this feeling that Doffy was plotting something potentially devastating. So I went to ask him about it, but he wouldn't listen, you know how he is. And then when that merman broke the fishbowl Doffy had stuffed him in… Things escalated."

"And here we are," Law muttered. "But why would he attack you in the first place? I've been racking my brain for the past months trying to think of a motive, but I've got nothing."

Cora sighed wearily. "Dressrosa's broke, Law. My best guess is that he wanted to start a war to overthrow Newgate and to claim reign over the merfolk, too. It'd be easy to pin the empty treasury on the war."

"What the...?" Law hissed. "That's absurd."

His adoptive father only smiled apologetically. "That's the only reason I can think of, Lawsie."

Law didn't have a reply to that, still trying to wrap his head around the idea that Cora had been in a coma, that Luffy had been held captive and Usopp and Nami had been almost _killed_ , all because of money. He balled his hands into tight fists, shaking with anger.

"Doffy's dead, I take it," Cora said quietly.

It wasn't a question.

Law nodded. "Got caught in the explosion. Good riddance."

Cora shook his head, frowning dolefully. Law came close to snapping at him for mourning the king's death when Cora had nearly lost his life in Doflamingo's hands, but he caught himself at the last second. Cora needed a moment, and Law needed some silence, so they simply sat on the cramped bed, staring at nothing.

"I suppose that was to be expected," Cora said after a long while, wearing a faint smile. "We have a lot of explaining to do to the people of Dressrosa."

Law nodded, tearing his eyes from Cora. He did a double take when he saw that Kikoku was sheathed at the foot of the duke's bed, just waiting to be reclaimed. Law reached out to it, brushing his fingers against the hilt ever so slightly.

"Who brought you here?" he wondered, speaking to no one in particular. "Monet-ya, maybe?"

"I don't know, it was already there when I woke up. To be honest, I thought _you_ had left it here," Cora said. "Could have been one of the healers, too. They've apparently been here quite often."

"I'd say," Law agreed. "When did you wake up, anyway?"

"It's hard to miss when your home implodes around you," Cora said, and Law could tell that he was trying to lighten the mood even if he wasn't really succeeding. "I've only been up for a few hours."

"I think I need a two months' nap after this, too," Law grumbled.

"Law," Cora cut in, "I'm glad you're here, alive and… close to being well. But really, son, you look awful. When's the last time you ate?"

Law raised a hand to touch idly the cut on his temple. He'd forgotten all about his own scrapes in his hurry to treat Nami and Usopp and all the others. "I'm okay."

"Like hell," Cora said, rolling his eyes. He reached to a fruit basket that was waiting on his night stand, grimacing at the movement that jarred his still healing injury. He took an apple from the basket and tossed it to Law with a smile.

"Eat, please. We have a lot of catching up to do."

* * *

The sun was rising by the time Law sauntered back to the beach, deep in thought. Cora had stayed behind in the castle, fast asleep, and the hunger paining Law's stomach had soon driven him from his adoptive father's bedside.

The sand crunched under his feet and a warm wind rustled his hair as Law trudged his way back to the others, following the music.

He could see the flickering sparks rise from a large bonfire long before he could recognise any of the people surrounding it. The mood among the celebrating survivors was oddly cheery with the wreckage of the main wing was still smouldering behind their backs, but Law found that he didn't particularly mind. He could smell something roasting nearby, and the answering rumbles in his stomach spurred him on.

He found some fish cooking on the fire, and stuffed his pockets with grilled herring. He circled the bonfire as he ate, searching for a familiar face. He saw some nobles he'd met in the past, and some servants he had seen on occasion, and even some fishmen. Wait, _fishmen?_

Law blinked, convinced that his eyes were playing a trick on him. But no, there were indeed fishmen here and there, helping the injured survivors, tending to the fire, or just sitting with the humans with cups of sake in hand. Law saw a fishman with green scales and swords on his hands slicing a sea king to pieces like he was cutting paper, and he decided that he didn't even want to know.

Eventually, Law wandered away from the bonfire and the large masses of people, wandering along the shoreline. He heard Luffy laugh long before he saw the merman, and he followed the sounds with a small smile.

Nami and Usopp sat near the water's edge, leaning back on their hands as they watched the beach foam gather around their feet whenever the tides broke gently on the shore. Luffy and Ace were resting in the shallow water, grins stretching from ear to ear. Luffy laid flat on his stomach with his head against his palms. Ace was leaning on a fishman with azure scales and blond hair, and Marco wore a lazy smile that didn't fade even as his blue eyes spotted the human.

Law met his inspective gaze evenly, and the protective ire in Marco's eyes diminished bit by bit. "Hello, Trafalgar. Nice of you to join us, yoi."

Luffy's head snapped up like a whip and he grinned even wider, if that was possible. "Torao! You woke up!"

Law chuckled. "Of course I did."

"Well I wasn't sure, you were snoring really loudly when we left. Oh, and Pineapple's here! Isn't that awesome!" Luffy giggled.

"I noticed," Law said. "I didn't expect to see you here, _Pineapple-ya_."

Marco shot an accusing glare at Luffy, who simply snickered sheepishly. "We got your message, _Torao._ But seems like you stole the show before we got here, yoi."

Law snorted out a laugh. "Better late than never."

He sat down on the sand next to Nami. He was pleased to see that, while Nami and Usopp were clearly beyond exhausted and sore all over, they looked a lot healthier compared to when Law had last seen them.

Nami smiled faintly at Law. "We kinda lost the snail. Sorry about that."

Law shook his head. "It's fine. Not like we can have a trial now, anyway."

"True, you have a lot of rebuilding to do," Nami said and smirked. "I'm still going to want my payment, though. The vault was filled with fakes."

"Obviously. How are you feeling?"

Usopp puffed his chest. "I've never felt better, even though I did take on many beasts in that fierce battle! I-"

Nami poked him on the shoulder, making Usopp yelp in pain.

"- I'm done, I'm done! Sheesh Nami, you didn't need to poke me!"

"That's debatable. You were rambling." Nami quipped and winked at Luffy, who was snickering at the sniper.

"Yeah, Usopp, you look like crap," Luffy said bluntly, and Ace snorted.

Law took out the rest of his precious herring from his pocket, and groaned when Luffy nearly drooled at the smell alone. He tossed one at the merman, who caught it and grinned at Ace proudly with the fish still between his teeth. Ace tried to yank it from his brother, but only succeeded in knocking both himself and Luffy face first into the water.

Law was suddenly in a hurry to eat the rest of his fish.

Marco, rolled his eyes fondly. "And this is what I'm marrying into, yoi."

"You act like this isn't an everyday thing," Nami teased. She stretched her arms and stole a piece of herring from Law while the healer wasn't looking.

"You're getting married?" Law asked curiously. "What's a merman wedding like?"

Marco chortled. "Nothing like your kind's, that's for sure. A lot of long-winded ceremonies and a lot of drinking."

"That sounds just like a human wedding," Usopp remarked. "A lot of boring talks and swap a few rings here and there. And everyone gets wasted, of course."

"Yeah. To be honest it sounds kinda needless," Ace admitted. "We could throw a feast just because, anyway. But it's big deal to Pops, though, and a good reason to party, so I'm not against it."

"You should come, Torao!" Luffy declared. "We could pick you up, it'd be faster that way, and you could come see my room and I could show you around, and oh you _have_ to taste Thatch's cooking!"

Ace cuffed Luffy on the head. "You're not inviting any more people, moron. Izo almost bit my head off the last time he saw the damn guest list."

Luffy pouted. "He could be my plus-one."

"You already have a plus fifty the last time I checked," Ace huffed, but Marco placed a hand on his mate's shoulder.

"Let the human join if he wants, yoi. It's not like we'll run out of food," Marco laughed languidly. Ace muttered something that sounded an awful lot like " _you're telling Izo"._

Law nodded stiffly. "Thank you. I won't miss it."

"You'd better not," Luffy chirped. "It's going to be awesome!"

Law simply sighed in content and watched the sun rise with his new friends. He couldn't wipe the soft smile off his face.


	16. Epilogue

_**A/N: I'm just going to post the last chapters at the same time, I think I've made you wait way too long anyway *sweats*. Thanks for reading this far, please review!**_

* * *

It had been three days since the fall of Doflamingo's reign, and Dressrosa was still down a king and a castle. Cora had taken over as the temporary ruler with the merfolk's help, but Doflamingo didn't have an heir, and no one knew exactly _who_ to give the crown to.

But the truth was out, or at least one version of it. Cora had spoken to the public shortly after he'd woken up and, as the late king's advisor, he'd managed to convince the people of Law and Luffy's innocence. Without the surveillance snail, however, the only evidence of Doflamingo's guilt was lost to the ocean. There was no way of proving that the king had been behind the attack on Cora's life anymore, and the blame had been shouldered to a nameless attacker.

Trafalgar Law sat under a tree by the shoreline, just listening to the billowing tides. He was still bandaged here and there, but the ache of old hurts was hardly noticeable with the soft wind soothing his skin. He'd left the castle before dawn after another sleepless night. Even though Law was practically dead on his feet, sleep seemed to evade him at every turn. There just weren't enough hours in a day to process the whirlwind of events that summed up his past two months.

He hadn't seen much of Cora or Luffy over the past days. He hadn't seen much of anyone, really; resigning to spend his days alone instead, away from the commotion.

Besides, Cora was busy, and the small moments of free time he got to himself went to either sleeping or eating. Law had seen him a couple of times when he'd gone to check up on Cora's healing wound, and neither had sought out the other past those brief encounters. They were both still getting used to each other's company, and Law was yet to shake the fear of walking into Cora's offices just to find him lying on the floor again, bleeding.

Luffy, on the other hand, had reluctantly agreed to help Cora restore the castle. Some of the merfolk had stuck around to keep him company; understandably unwilling to leave the teen alone after they'd only so recently found him. In fact, Luffy had been so busy with rebuilding and reconnecting with his friends that Law had barely gotten a chance to talk to him since that night on the beach.

Law sighed, setting down the notebook he'd brought with him. He'd been trying to write down a letter that he would never send, but the words didn't flow as easily as Law had hoped. Explaining everything that had happened since that accursed birthday ball two months ago was difficult when Law too was yet to wrap his head around it. But Lami would understand. She always did.

He was almost drifting off by the time heard the water splashing out in the sea. He cracked an eye open, recognising the now familiar snickers. "Long time no see, Luffy-ya."

"Oi, Torao!" Luffy yelled back, spotting the human. "I was just looking for you! Hey, watch this!"

Law quirked an eyebrow, expecting for the merman to pull some stunt that would leave them both beyond waterlogged. But Luffy only dipped below surface, shooting out of the water like a bullet soon after. He flipped himself around in the air, the red and silver scales of his tail glimmering in the sunlight and sending droplets of water flying in an arch.

Law had known Luffy for two months now, and he'd lived surrounded by luxury for half his life. He'd seen a lot of things most would consider lavish, gorgeous even, and still Law had never seen anything quite as breath-taking as a merman's elegance in the water.

Luffy swam to the waterline, grinning proudly. "Cool, right! Ace said I'm finally healed enough to do that kind of stuff!"

"That was indeed," Law paused, lacking the right word to describe what he'd just seen. "That was cool, yeah."

Luffy beamed with joy. "I'm almost as fast as Ace, I'll beat him soon! I bet I could take him on."

Law snorted. "Maybe give it a few more days."

"Aww," Luffy whined. "That's no fun. I'd have done it already, but Ace is busy, wedding stuff and all. Boring."

Law nodded, a small smirk curving his lips. "Were you at the wreckage just now?"

Luffy perked up and laughed sheepishly. "I kinda slipped away while Izo was talking with Thatch. Those guys are hard to get past unless they're distracting each other, you know?"

"I should have known," Law chuckled. "You're incurable."

"Sorry, sorry," Luffy said, rubbing the back of his head. "I have to go back soon, anyway. Izo's going to notice I'm gone, and he's not going to be happy."

"Get going then," Law suggested. "Before they come get you."

Luffy nodded at first, flicking the water with his tail thoughtfully. He frowned. "There was something I needed to show you though… Oh, right!"

He rummaged the small satchel that was hanging from his waist -for treasures and meat- and pulled out something too small for Law's eyes to see. Something gleamed in the sunlight, but when Law reached a hand to grab the something from Luffy, he grasped at nothing.

Luffy pried Law's fingers open with one hand and placed the item into Law's open palm. The material was silky against his skin, strong but nigh invisible. It reminded Law of-

"String?"

Luffy nodded sombrely. "I found it when I was clearing the rocks, near the room where Ace was held in. Do you think…?"

"I don't know," Law muttered numbly. "Come to think of it, Luffy-ya, did you ever find a body?"

"If we did, no one's told me about it," Luffy replied.

Blood drained from Law's face. He clutched the string in his hand with a white knuckled grip. "You have got to be fucking kidding me. It can't be..."

"He's gone now," Luffy said. "We kicked Mingo out of Dressroba."

Law didn't hear him over the memories and emotions that had overtaken his focus. He needed to see Cora and make sure that he was okay, right now.

Law got up to leave, but Luffy caught his pant leg before the human got out of reach, stopping him. "Torao, wait."

The merman's voice was commanding and reassuring all the same, piercing through the haze clouding Law's logic. Luffy pulled him back down, and Law slumped against the tree bonelessly. "I-I can't do this again."

"You don't have to. It's all going to be okay, don't worry. We beat that feather guy up nicely, he's not going to be back anytime soon," Luffy comforted. "And if he does, I'll be here, Torao. _Breathe."_

Law tried to, god he did; in and out, rinse and repeat, but air didn't seem to find his lungs. The merman's brow knitted together with worry, and Law was left no time to react before wet arms wrapped him in a tight hug.

"It's going to be okay," Luffy promised and somehow, Law believed him.

He relaxed into the embrace and, slowly, breathing got easier. His fears seemed to dwindle and dissipate more by the minute, and Law chided himself inwardly for letting his imagination get the better of him. He shook his head, determined to shake the last, lingering bits of dread and terror from his mind.

"You can let go now, Luffy-ya," he said, a bit awkwardly, but Luffy showed no signs of letting go, and just snickered into Law's ear.

"Nope, I like this. You're warm, Torao."

"Yeah, fine," Law sighed. "But my clothes are soaked now."

"Shishishi, it's a sunny day, just take them off!" Luffy stated, like it was the simplest thing.

"I'll do no such thing," Law snapped, albeit half-heartedly. He felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment and ire. _'Damn brat.'_

He pushed Luffy away, trying to hide his smile. "Just because you don't seem to care for clothes doesn't mean we all need to go naked."

Luffy shrugged. "It's not like I can wear pants, Torao."

"Fair enough," Law agreed, trying and failing to dry his clothes. Luffy waited for him to finish, doodling something in the sand that looked like two stick figures. Then again, considering who the artist was, it was hard to tell.

Luffy grinned up at the human, noticing Law's obvious interest to all things distracting him from his thoughts. "Look. That's you, and that's me, swimming in the ocean."

"Is it now?" Law asked, "Looks an awful lot like nothing to me."

"Hey, don't be rude!" Luffy snapped, but the words held no bite.

Law shook his head, smiling. Once he'd gotten most of the water out of his drenched clothes, Law leaned back against the tree. He closed his eyes, feeling the long nights of thinking instead of sleeping catch up on him. He felt drained.

Luffy dragged himself up to lean against the trunk next to Law, snuggling against the human's side. He was dripping wet, and Law realised with a groan that his efforts to wring his clothes dry had been a fool's errand. But Luffy was warm, keeping cold at bay, so Law wasn't exactly complaining.

"Time for a nap?" Law asked teasingly.

Luffy grinned. "Yup."

The merman yawned and closed his eyes, all intentions of heading back long forgotten. His tail tangled with Law's legs, radiating heat and locking them both in place. Realising that he wasn't being given a choice in the matter, Law just hummed his approval and leaned closer to Luffy, soaking in the merman's warmth.

He fell asleep with a smile on his face.

* * *

 ** _A/N: I just want to make a quick shout out again to my betas, Emygrl99 and Beyond Kailani, as well as my artist for the OPBB, qpeura. They're all great, go check out their works! If you've stuck with me until the end, thank you, and I'll see you next time ^^_**


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